San Elizario

Today, this semi-rural farming community remains an important element in the region's rich heritage. The irrigation canals that feed the surrounding farms in many cases follow the alignments of the original acequias, and Glorieta Road leading out of San Elizario toward El Paso follows the El Camino Real. The town center, a National Register Historic District, is roughly bounded by the original Presidio site and includes the San Elizario Presidio Chapel. It is also the start of El Paso’s Mission Trail.

 

Stop in Los Portales to pick up a walking tour brochure of the historic district. Originally built in the 1850s as a home, it now serves as the town’s museum and information center. In its three-block core, you can learn about San Elizario’s deep history and explore buildings constructed as early as 1830, many of them still in use today. While steeped in history, the community is reinventing itself as a vibrant artist colony, with more than 20 working artist studios, including those of Amado Peña, Bert Saldaña, and Alberto Escamilla. Art as a business is a concept not lost in this small community. The Mission Trail Art Market operates the third Sunday of the month May through November, and the First Friday Art walks are monthly happenings in San Elizario.