EL PASO, TEXAS. El Paso is at the far western tip of Texas, where New Mexico and the Mexican state of Chihuahua meet in a harsh desert environment around the slopes of Mount Franklin on the Rio Grande, which has often been compared to the Nile. As they approached the Rio Grande from the south, Spaniards in the sixteenth century viewed two mountain ranges rising out of the desert with a deep chasm between. This site they named El Paso del Norte (the Pass of the North), the future location of two border cities-Ciudad Juárez on the south or right bank of the Rio Grande, and El Paso, Texas, on the opposite side of the river.

Exploration the Hispanic Heritage in Texas by visiting national parks, memorials and historic sites located in El Paso or within a short drive. Four of the original six Spanish colonial mansions built along the San Antonio River make up San Antonio Missions National Historic Park. These hauntingly beautiful missions, which evoke the complex history of Hispanic culture in Texas, are still used as places of worship.

Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso is more than just a landmark commemorating the 1963 treaty settlement of a long boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico. It also includes the Los Paisanos Art Gallery and indoor and outdoor theaters where multicultural programs are performed year-round.

Escape the traffic of the city and wheel your way into the wilds, coasting down steep and sometimes gentle slopes taking in the state's extraordinary variety of scenery as you go along.  Our Franklin State Mountains offers some mountain biking through the Chihuahuan Desert habitat.

Take in some dazzling sights and sounds at sunset by hicking the Sunset View Trail in the Franklin Mountains State Park, which offers a dramatic 360° view of the sunset and the lights of El Paso, Tx.

Request this free Visitors Guide or this Nature Tourism Guide for lots more information or follow any one of the following links.

Lots more information on El Paso here.

City of El Paso-Information and Statistics

El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau

The City of El Paso-Government Site

The Handbook of Texas-Online