Since Opuntia engelmannii doesn't occur naturally in Hidalgo County, nor anywhere near, it's highly likely that this was another species of Opuntia. If you have photos of the plant, I can probably tell which species it was. There are several candidates that are found in the region. If it is a garden plant, then - well - it could be O. engelmannii, but it's still highly unlikely.

The name "O. engelmannii" is often used incorrectly as a garbage can name [or as a "lumping" ground] for any large bushy Opuntia in the Southwest U.S., but there are a number of different species of this sort. In Texas O. engelmannii is limited approximately to the Trans-Pecos region, though it does occur a little further east than the Pecos River.

Moved from ID Request.