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Ciudad Juárez is a large city in Mexico just a short walk across the bridge from El Paso, Texas. We popped across the border to explore for a couple hours.
History of Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez is the biggest city in the state of Chihuahua. It’s an important point of entry to the United States and along with El Paso makes up the second-largest binational metropolitan area behind San Diego and Tijuana.
Ciudad Juárez was founded as El Paso del Norte in 1659 by Franciscan Friar García de San Francisco (1602-1673). It became an important stop on the trail between Chihuahua and Santa Fe, was a refuge for natives fleeing the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo established the Rio Grande as the border between Mexico and the United States. Locals on both sides of the border crossed freely until around 1930.
After the arrival of the railroad in 1882, El Paso del Norte grew quickly. More banks began operating, and telegraph and telephone service became available. In 1888, the city was renamed in honor of Benito Juárez (1806-1872), the first indigenous president of Mexico. Ciudad Juárez continued to expand and grow in the last decade of the 19th century and early 20th century.
Modern Ciudad Juárez
In May 1911, during the Mexican Revolution, about 3,000 revolutionary fighters under Francisco I. Madero (1873-1913) laid siege to Ciudad Juárez. General Juan José Navarro, who was supported by 500 soldiers and about 300 civilians, surrendered to Madero after two days of heavy fighting. It was an important victory that led to the end of the rule of dictator Porfirio Díaz (1830-1915). Much of the city was destroyed between 1911 and 1913, when Pancho Villa (1878-1923) and other revolutionaries fought for control.
Ciudad Juárez recovered in the 1920s through 1940s thanks to tourism, gambling, and manufacturing. Further growth was ushered in through the 1960s. Unfortunately, violence due to the border drug trade, which dramatically increased since 1993, coupled with wars between the Juárez, Jalisco, and Sinaloa Cartels, rendered much of the city a no-go zone. In fact, it was once the most violent city in the world. However, there have been improvements in security during the 2010s, with an increase in tourism and development.
Getting to Ciudad Juárez
If you’d like to hop across the border from El Paso to Ciudad Juárez, you can literally walk across the Paso del Norte International Bridge (Puente Internacional Paso del Norte). Also known as the Santa Fe Street Bridge and the Benito Juárez Bridge (Puente Benito Juárez), it was originally built in the 19th century. The current bridge dates back to 1967 and is one of the busiest border crossings in the United States.
Follow the pedestrian section to cross the bridge. Once on the Mexican side, it’s a straight shot into the historic city center just a few blocks away. We didn’t have to show our passports to get into Mexico.
Coming back to the United States, walk back across the bridge and go through passport control. It usually only takes a few minutes for processing if you’re a US citizen. Lines are super long if you’re driving, so it’s much better to walk. You don’t need a car in Ciudad Juárez, anyway.
Border Customs Building
The former Border Customs (Aduana Fronteriza) building, which has seen its fair share of historic events, is likely the first historic building you’ll notice after crossing the border. It’s at the south end of Avenida Benito Juárez. The building was designed by American architect George King and built by engineer Manuel Garfias. Construction started in 1885 and it opened on September 10, 1889.
The building hosted the historic meeting between Presidents Porfirio Díaz of Mexico and William Howard Taft of the United States on October 16, 1909. In May 1911, Mexican revolutionary Francisco Madero began to use it as the offices of the provisional presidency while he served as the 37th President of Mexico until his assassination.
Pancho Villa used the building as his headquarters in 1913. In 1914, it again became the offices of the provisional presidency under the revolutionary government of Venustiano Carranza (1859-1920). After several years of neglect, on November 22, 1975, it was decided that the building would be redeveloped as a museum.
Museum of the Revolution in the Borderland (MUREF)
The Border Customs building now hosts the Museum of the Revolution in the Borderland (Museo de la Revolución en la Frontera), or MUREF for short, which was inaugurated on July 18, 1990. It covers the history of the Mexican Revolution on the border of the United States. Admission is free (as of August 2025) and it’s open daily except Mondays from 9am to 5pm.
The museum has both permanent and temporary exhibitions that are informative and interesting. They include plenty of original artifacts, photographs, and multimedia displays. During my visit, all information was in Spanish, but according to reports, English translations have since been added.
The permanent exhibitions are broken down into nine sections: Nationalism on the Border (El Nacionalismo en la Frontera); The Organizing Board of the Mexican Liberal Party and its transition to Anarchism (La Junta Organizadora del Partido Liberal Mexicano y su transición al Anarquismo); The Triumph of Maderism in Ciudad Juárez (El Triunfo del Maderismo en Ciudad Juárez); The Radicalization of the Struggle (La Radicalización de la Lucha); Pancho Villa; The Revolution of the Gaze (La Revolución de la Mirada); The Border as a Stage (La Frontera como Escenario); Imaginaries (Imaginarios); and Border Customs (La Aduana Fronteriza). Overall, MUREF is a good museum for anyone interested in the Mexican Revolution.
Pancho Villa Exhibit
Two sections of the museum stood out to me. The first was on Pancho Villa. In addition to authentic artifacts and photos, there were wanted posters, advertisements for Americans to join him, and government-issued documents of his family members.
Also on display were the chairs from the National Palace (Palacio Nacional) used by Villa and Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919) after they captured Mexico City in December 1914. The famous photograph of that event sits behind the chairs.
Taft and Díaz
The other section most interesting to me covered the meeting between Presidents Porfirio Díaz of Mexico and William Howard Taft of the United States. On display are the clothes worn by each leader, Díaz’s trunk, and the menus from dinner and breakfast.
Plaza de Armas
Plaza de Armas is a lively square in the heart of Ciudad Juárez. It’s the oldest public square in the city and was first laid out between 1680 and 1693. It hosted public markets, assemblies, and festivals.
In the center is a fountain as well as a band shell. The fountain features a statue of comedian Germán “Tin-Tan” Valdés (1915-1973) smoking a cigar. It was installed in 2001. Around the plaza, you’ll find plenty of places to sit and people watch.
In addition, there are plenty of street vendors selling all kinds of goods, including snacks, ice cream, photos, toys, and more. Locals of all ages enjoying the atmosphere. Adults relax and socialize while children take the opportunity to play.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The largest building on Plaza de Armas is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe). It was consecrated in 1941 and completed in 1957. The modern cathedral has a Neoclassical exterior with twin bell towers. The entrance portal is flanked by a double order of Corinthian columns.
The interior consists of a single nave. It was redecorated in the late 1970s after a fire destroyed the original decorations. There are beautiful stained glass windows on the left side while statues line the right side.
Mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe
To the left is the much smaller and more modest Mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Misión de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de los Mansos del Paso del Norte). It was founded on December 8, 1659, by Friar García de San Francisco for a community of about 400 natives. The mission later served natives fleeing New Mexico during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
Construction on the current building began on April 2, 1662. It was consecrated on January 23, 1668. It’s attached to the cathedral and features beautiful wooden vigas (beams) supporting the ceiling as well as a wooden choir loft. A statue of Friar García de San Francisco stands outside the entrance to the mission.
Municipal Palace
A block behind the cathedral is the Municipal Palace (Palacio Municipal), which once served as city hall. The building dates back to the late 19th century and has a beautiful façade. It features black volcanic stones and an ornate entry.
Before the palace was built, a fort stood on the site. It housed troops protecting travelers on the Camino Real from Apache raids. Treaties with the Apaches were signed there, and it was the seat of civil authority for over 300 years. Today, the building houses the Municipal Center for the Arts (Centro Municipal de las Artes).
Mercado Cuauhtémoc
Opposite the Municipal Palace is the Mercado Cuauhtémoc. This public market building originally opened in 1906. It stands on the former site of San Pablo Bullring (Plaza de Toros San Pablo). It’s a great place to try an authentic local meal and see where many citizens of Ciudad Juárez do their shopping.
Where to Eat in Ciudad Juárez
We decided to have lunch on the way back to the border after exploring Ciudad Juárez.
Kentucky Club
We popped into the Kentucky Club, which has been open since 1920, for a quick meal. It was founded two years into prohibition, when a distiller from Kentucky decided to open a legal operation south of the border. The owners went all-out, ordering a wooden bar back all the way from France. Famous visitors include Al Capone, Ronald Reagan, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, and Bob Dylan.
The Kentucky Club claims to be the birthplace of the margarita. Legend has it that a bartender, Lorenzo Hernández, invented the drink for a patron named Margarita. I had some decent enchiladas to go along with my margarita.
