El Paso

Abstract

El Paso, Texas, is the epicenter of the largest international border metroplex in the Western Hemisphere. With a population of nearly 675,000, El Paso is the nineteenth largest city in the United States and the sixth largest in Texas. Throughout its history, El Paso has been a Hispanic city by virtue of its location on the US-Mexico border, and the majority of its Latino population is of Mexican heritage. In 2010, the US Census reported that 80.7 percent of the population was Latino. Located on the banks of the Rio Grande River at the natural pass between the rugged mountain ranges that cut across the Chihuahuan Desert, the region has historically served as a center for trade and commerce. For centuries prior to European settlement, Native American peoples forged trade routes across the region. The first Spanish expedition made its way into the region in 1581, and in 1598 Juan de Oñate claimed the area that would become El Paso for Spain in nearby San Elizario, placing it at the center of an empire that stretched from Mexico into the northern frontiers of present-day New Mexico. Franciscan missionaries established the Missión Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de los Mansos del Paso del Norte in 1659 (today, Ciudad Juárez). By the end of the 17th century, the area constituted a critical post on the Camino Real between Chihuahua and Santa Fe. After Mexican independence in 1820, Paso del Norte remained an important commercial center notable for its size and its prominence as the seat of political and economic power in the region. American business interests soon turned their attention to Paso del Norte. During the US war with Mexico, American troops captured Paso del Norte, and, following the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the region was divided politically but remained culturally and economically entwined. Incorporated in 1873, El Paso began to take on the characteristics of an “American” town, and the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1881 transformed El Paso into a bustling city. While its bicultural history has set El Paso apart, the process of bridging national and cultural identities has not always been easy. The consolidation of economic and political power led to the dislocation of the city’s Mexican population and increasing social, educational, and residential segregation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, Mexican El Pasoans were by no means small players in the formation of the vibrant border city. They created their own community institutions, political organizations, and business districts, and they contributed countless hours of labor to the functioning of the city, as many of the following readings will show.