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Chamizal National Memorial is a small urban park in El Paso, Texas. It’s dedicated to the settlement of a 100-year border dispute between Mexico and the United States.

Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso, Texas
Chamizal National Memorial

 

Visiting

Chamizal National Memorial is a fee-free park (as of September 2024). The park grounds are open year-round while the visitor center is open Tuesday through Saturday. Throughout the year, the park hosts cultural events, performances, ranger-guided programs, and more.

Stage

Trails are available for walking, jogging, and biking. It’s also a great place to have a picnic, with nine covered picnic tables available on a first-come, first served basis.

 

Visitor Center

Our visit to Chamizal National Memorial was limited to the visitor center, which has a beautiful mural on the outer wall.

Visitor center at Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso, Texas
Visitor center
Mural
Mural

The visitor center contains the Franklin G. Smith Gallery, which displays local art, as well as a museum with informative displays about the border dispute. There’s also a short orientation video.

Museum at Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso, Texas
Museum
Dolls

 

Chamizal Dispute

The Chamizal dispute was centered on a plot of land measuring about 600 acres. It was caused by a southward shift in the Rio Grande from the original border in 1852. The river had continuously shifted until 1873, and the new land it created was settled and incorporated into El Paso.

Museum at Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso, Texas
Museum

The dispute was finally settled in 1963, when President John F. Kennedy agreed to honor an arbitration award dating back to 1911. Mexico received 366 acres of the Chamizal area and 71 acres to the east. The United States received 193 acres and compensation from Mexico for 382 structures included in the transfer. The two countries also agreed to split the costs of building a concrete channel to prevent the Rio Grande from shifting further, as well as the construction of three new international bridges.

Museum

Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson of the United States and Adolfo López Mateos ratified the treaty on January 14, 1964. Chamizal National Memorial was authorized on June 30, 1964, and established as a National Park Service unit on February 4, 1974.

Boundary marker at Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso, Texas
Boundary marker

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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