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Story & photos by Dennis Begin
My first impression of the State of Texas was influenced by the historic Battle of the Alamo, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and the saying “everything is bigger in Texas”. The word Texas, spelled ‘Teyshas’ or ‘Teyas’ and pronounced ‘Tay-Hoss’, is not Spanish but Manso Indian, meaning ‘manos y amigos’ or ‘friend’. There is also another attraction in West Texas, which piqued my interest, Rosa’s Cantina from the song “El Paso” by Marty Robbins.
“Out in the West Texas town of El Paso,
I fell in love with a Mexican girl.
Nighttime would find me in Rosa’s Cantina.
Music would play and Felina would whirl”.
Although Rosa’s Cantina was built after the release of the 1960 song, Marty Robbins did come up with the lyrics when driving through the city. The popularity of this gunfighter ballad has endured for years, despite the fictious nature of the song. The real Rosa’s Cantina has been described as the “best dive bar on this side of the border”. Inside the cantina, they play the songs of Marty Robbins on the jukebox amidst memorabilia covering the walls. El Paso is a great song, an American classic, but it is also a terrific place for lunch and a real margarita.
In fact, it was in Tommy’s Place Bar in Juarez, Mexico, on July 4, 1945, that Francisco Pancho Moralez invented the ‘margarita’.
The Spanish were the first to arrive in 1581 under Governor Don Juan de Onate. Onate was looking for a pass through the Franklin Mountains and followed the Rio Grande. This mountain route would become ‘El Paso del Rio del Norte’ or the ‘pass of the north river’. It would be Fray Garcia de San Francisco in 1659 who established the first mission along the river and then built the Nuestra Senora del Guadalupe del Paso Mission (Lady of the Pass), from a miracle grove of pine trees that suddenly appeared. Fray Garcia’s bronze statute rests in Pioneer Plaza in downtown El Paso. With the defeat of Mexico in the Mexican American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe in 1848, the river came to serve as the US-Mexican border. El Paso, however, remained a poor border town. During the period of the Wild West, the city was even nicknamed ‘The Six Shooter Capital’. On April 14, 1881, Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire killed three of four men in a gunfight, later called ‘Four Dead in Five Seconds’. His legacy was the taming of a very wild and violent town.
Gradually the city was transformed following the arrival of the South Pacific Railroad in 1881. El Paso became a modern manufacturing city, with oil refineries, textile and food processing plants. With a population of over 649,000 people, the city services the area from Las Cruces, New Mexico, to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, with 2.7 million people making up the world’s largest international metroplex. El Paso is known for the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), seventy Fortune 500 companies, medical research, the Sun Bowl, urban renewal and the Fort Bliss Army Base.
Every day, thousands of Mexicans cross the border to work in El Paso. Mexican peasants (campesinos) or landless migrants also cross the border illegally. They cross to the other side [el otoro lado], looking for a better life in America. As a result, El Paso has become the largest binational and bilingual port of entry into the United States. Today the city is called ‘The Sun City’ because it averages 305 days a year of sun, making tourism a major business. In addition, El Paso has received the honour of being the safest largest city in the US from 2012 to 2015.
What is there to see in El Paso, Texas?
South El Paso Street
This is the heart of the old city where the American and Mexican cultures meet to share a rich bicultural heritage. For over 150 years, Mexican and American businesses have shared South El Paso Street, which consists of open-air stores, art galleries, restaurants and a Farmer’s Market. Thousands of tourists pour into this street to bargain or eat in Mexican restaurants. In 2008, the street was listed by the American Planning Association [APA] as one of the ‘Top Ten Great Streets’ in the United States, as well as receiving an All-American designation in 2010. At the north end, the seventeen story Hotel Camino Real dominates the skyline. Built in 1912, the hotel was the ultimate in luxury and is still referred to as, ‘The Showplace of the West’.
National Border Patrol Museum and Memorial Library
In light of the constant border problems with Mexico, a visit to the National Border Patrol Museum seems appropriate to learn about past and current operations. The museum was the idea of retired border agents, opened in 1985 and is still maintained by them. The museum is even perched on the mountainside overlooking the border. Inside there is a very large collection of border vehicles from motorcycles, boats, a piper airplane, OH-6 helicopter, ATV’s, and even a snowmobile. There are a variety of weapons, uniforms, badges, documents and photos. It is interesting to learn that the first border patrol officers had to provide their own horses, guns and uniforms, although the government provided the hay for the horses. There is even an RCMP in uniform, as part of an exhibit to honour Canada’s role in border security. Lastly, there is a display dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.
The Mission Trail
A lasting legacy of the Imperial Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain created in 1598, was the construction of missions by the Franciscans along the Camino Real, the ‘Royal Road’ from Mexico City to Santa Fe, NM. The purpose of the missions was to protect territory, settlements, promote trade and convert the Tigua and Piro Indians. The Mission Trail extends for 15km (9mi) along the north side of the Rio Grande and consists of the Ysleta Mission, Mission Socorro and the Presidio Chapel San Elizario. The Ysleta Mission is recognized as the oldest continuously operating parish in Texas. All missions are still operative and open to the public.
Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahuas, Mexico
Ciudad Juarez is located on the south side of the Rio Grande and named in 1888 after La Cuidad de Benito Juarez, former President of the Republic of Mexico. Most tourists come to shop in the Juarez Market or visit Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission. A city with over 1.2 million people, it is known today as a manufacturing center [maquiladoras], with such firms as Electrolux, Lexmark, Delphi, Johnson & Johnson and Siemens located in the area. This city is changing for the better, having been called ‘The Murder Capital’ due to the Juarez Drug Cartel. A walk across the Santa Fe Bridge is a short walk into Mexican culture.
Other Attractions
There is no shortage of attractions near El Paso. To the east is the natural wonder of the Hueco Tanks State Park. In the north near Las Cruces is Mesilla Plaza, a village preserved in 19th century history. Back in El Paso, take the Wyler Aerial Tram to the top of Ranger Peak and the view from 1700m (5,632ft). In the center of El Paso are numerous museums, as well as the performing arts and entertainment district. Some of the venues include the Convention Center, Museum of History and Art, and the Plaza and Chavez Theatres.
My last memory of El Paso came on the final night. Driving up the Scenic Drive on Franklin Mountain there are two viewpoints. The colourful city lights at night reveal a beautiful metropolitan centre that is vibrant in its modern transformation. The sights of El Paso are only an introduction to the alluring state of Texas.