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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.
Visiting
Chamizal National Memorial is a fee-free park (as of September 2023). It’s open year-round except Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Hours are 7am to 9pm from April through October and 7am to 7pm the rest of the year. Throughout the year, the park hosts cultural events, performances, ranger-guided programs, and more.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
