East of town is the Sierra de Lampazos which rise to an elevation of 3,816 feet (1,163 m)[2] The climate is semi-arid with about 20 inches (500 mm) of precipitation annually, mostly falling in summer.

The Franciscans established a mission nearby to convert the Alazapas, a local band of nomadic Indians, to Christianity.

A few Alazapa survived into the 19th century, but were expelled to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon in 1860 and absorbed into the Hispanic population.

In Bustamante, the Comanche killed 17 people, abducted more than a dozen, and stole eight hundred head of livestock.

This marked the onset of three decades of Comanche raids which devastated communities all over northern Mexico and, from 1848 to 1860, caused at least 71 deaths and 18 abductions in Bustamante.