San Elizario Chapel and Billy the Kid live side-by-side in El Paso

If you live near a river you know that floods happen and destroy things. Add to that the ambitions of kings and the wars for land and gold, and you have key elements of the history of the three “missions” just south of El Paso. As I learned during my visit, only one was originally a mission on the Camino Real which led from Mexico City to Taos, New Mexico.

All three of these buildings have been rebuilt repeatedly because they were located on the Rio Grande flood plain and damaged severely again and again over the centuries. But parishioners attempted to salvage what they could from the old churches to include in the new ones, even when the church was moved to a new location.

Because dams have been built on the Rio Grande, extreme seasonal flooding has been brought to a halt. The current versions of these three churches will endure–at least for a while–but none are identical to the originals.

For about 9 miles, the historic Camino Real is known as the Mission Trail and I decided to start at the southern end where the San Elizario is located. San Elizario was a chapel for the Spanish Presidio (military fort) and there is a kind of austerity about it even today when it is a local parish church.

And it seems that no Mexican-influenced parish church would be complete without a Lady of Guadalupe statue. The Virgin Mary appeared in 1531 on a hill in what is now Mexico City and this event was recognized by the Pope in the mid 1800s. Her popularity continues to grow.

These days this image is used by artists to reflect Mexican heritage and culture as much as religious belief.

In the neighborhood surrounding San Elizario are a variety of art galleries and tourist attractions including the old El Paso Jail and a statue of Billy the Kid.

According to a plaque Billy the Kid helped someone escape from this jail.

It’s a curious claim since BTK spent most of his time in New Mexico and Arizona. But it is good for tourism I guess.

I am writing this from San Antonio, which I fell in love with instantly and am going to bring to an end this post about El Paso, which I didn’t care for at all. (Sorry, Beto)

Were it not for these three “missions” and the Mission Trail Socorro would be simply a small farming area backed up against the border fence lining the Rio Grande. So at the very least they are good for the local economy. More about the fence in future post. See photos of another mission, St. Xavier del Bac, near Tucson here.