El Paso in the foreground and Juarez, Mexico, in the background have a combined population of 2.3 million people.
Around El Paso
Big, bold, and beautiful … a land of unsurpassed color and enchantment … this is the Sun City.
El Paso: Gateway to the great Southwest
It is big in variety, too, from the spectacular majesty of towering mountain peaks to the quiet magic of the living desert; from the tranquil valleys to the verdant forests; from ancient culture to modern fine arts.
This land tells the story of the mountain men, the wagon trails, the cowpokes, the prospectors, and all the others who built the West – with the proud relics of their forts, their trails, their courage and their conquests.
El Paso-Juarez, the largest port of entry on the United States-Mexico border, holds the title “Crossroads of North America.” Whether traveling by plane, train, bus or car, the international cities connect to every important city in Mexico and the United States.
Located at the tip of West Texas on the border of Mexico and New Mexico, El Paso is built around the fabled Pass of the North named by the Spanish Conquistadores in 1598.
El Paso’s climate is dry and sunny. El Paso is the only year-round snow free pass through the Rocky Mountains. With its altitude of 3,762 feet above sea level and its average annual rainfall of 8.65 inches, El Paso has earned the distinct name Sun City.
The area is a blend of Spanish, Indian, and American cowboy heritage. Both English and Spanish are spoken interchangeably in El Paso and Juarez.
El Paso is the fifth largest city in Texas and boasts a population of about 650,000 friendly people. The city’s area is about 250 square miles and El Paso County’s area is about 1,058 square miles.
In the El Paso valley, the sun will warm the days all year and snow will be but a thought of another time and place unless you go to the nearby mountain tops where winter snows provide a playground for skiers and old-fashioned snowball fights. With the snow-capped mountains not more than 90 minutes away, it is not unusual for El Pasoans to swim, play golf and ski or sled in the same day.
El Paso geography is another contrast. In the valley, you are at an elevation of 3,762 feet where the air is dry and the humidity is comparatively low. Or, if you choose the mountains you may rise to 7,192 feet or more.
Major highways to and from El Paso include Interstates 10 and 25, U.S. 80, U.S. 180, U.S. 62, U.S. 54, U.S. 85, Mexico 45 and the Border Freeway.
El Paso is serviced by nine domestic airlines: America West, American, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Northwest, Southwest, United Express, and U.S. Airways. Aerolitoral provides service to the major sectors of Mexico.
Information for all airlines can be obtained at the El Paso International Airport’s website (www.elpasointernationalairport. com/) or the airline at the number listed in the El Paso telephone directory.
Greyhound, Trailways, and Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico bus lines serve El Paso, as well as El Paso-Los Angeles Limousine. Amtrak provides rail service into and out of El Paso.
The El Paso area is rich in facilities for higher education.
The University of Texas at El Paso, located near downtown El Paso, offers more than 160 degrees including 13 doctoral programs. (www.utep.edu)
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Central El Paso provides valuable educational opportunities for those interested in the health sciences field. (www.ttuhsc. edu/elpaso/)
A mere 47 miles north of El Paso in Las Cruces, N.M., is New Mexico State University (www.nmsu.edu).
Other educational choices include El Paso Community College (www.epcc.edu), Howard Payne University (www.hputx.edu/, then click on Extension Centers), the University of Phoenix (www.phoenix.edu/), Webster University (www.webster.edu/multicampus/bliss.html), and Park University (www.park.edu/ftbl/).
El Paso area attractions
Boredom is but a word in the dictionary for those lucky enough to live in the Sun City.
Assignment to Fort Bliss provides all the fun, culture, and recreation one could ever seek due to being in the hub of two countries: United States and Mexico, and three states: Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua (Mexico).
Whether you’re looking for something to do for a few hours, a day or a weekend, there’s something for everyone. From hiking to taking in the numerous local festivals, a valuable source of information is the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau website at www.elpasocvb.com.
The Chamizal National Memorial offers Music Under the Stars in the summer and many other cultural events throughout the year.
Chamizal National Memorial
The Chamizal National Memorial commemorates the peaceful settlement of a century-old dispute over the international boundary between Mexico and the United States. A museum and visitor center is on the grounds. The memorial is west of the Cordova Island Port of Entry.
The memorial’s outdoor amphitheater is home to the Music Under the Stars program sponsored by the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department. Concerts ranging from Alternative to Zydeco are free to the public. They begin at 7:30 p.m. on Sundays throughout the summer months. For the current schedule, visit the Music Under the Stars website at www.elpasotexas.gov/ mcad/music.asp or call 541-4481.
The Visitor’s Center is open daily from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The grounds are open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. The memorial is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. For more information, call 532-7273 or visit their website at www.nps. gov/cham/.
El Paso Centennial Museum
The El Paso Centennial Museum is a natural and cultural history museum with exhibits and collections dealing with the American Southwest and northern Mexico. Geology, paleontology, archeology, ethnology and history are areas represented with the collections. There are also changing exhibits on art, crafts and science. The museum is located on the University of Texas at El Paso campus and is open from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sunday, Monday and University holidays. For more information 747-5411 or visit their website at http://museum.utep.edu/.
El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center
The Judson F. Williams Convention Center offers 17 break-out rooms with three halls. In total, it has 80,000 square feet of columnless space and services banquet-style a total of 5,300 people. The center also includes the Abraham Chavez Theater which seats 2,500.
The center is home to numerous nationally known musical groups in concert, touring stars of stage and screen, and lecturers and symposiums covering all facets of academia, military business and entertainment.
For more information on scheduled performances, see the Venue Calendar at the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Centers website at www.elpasocvb.com/cpac_index. sstg.
El Paso Holocaust Museum
The El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center was originally established in honor and in memory of all those who were killed by the Nazis and those survivors who endured the terror. The museum was founded with the hope that by documenting the events, the possibility of another holocaust will be prevented.
In October 2001, the El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center was badly damaged in an electrical fire. Despite the untimely and shocking damage, the museum’s directors vowed immediately to rebuild the museum and continue enlightening the community about Holocaust history. The museum’s temporary location is 101 S. Kansas.
For more information, visit their website at www.elpasoholocaustmuseum.org/ or call 351-0048.
El Paso Museum of Art
The El Paso Museum of Art, One Arts Festival Plaza, is one of the more popular museums in the area. The museum contains a portion of the Kress Collection with works of 59 European masters including Botticelli, Filipino Lippi, Titian and Tintoretto.
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. For more information, call 532-1707 or visit www.elpasoartmuseum.org/.
El Paso Symphony Orchestra
Now in its 75th consecutive season of uninterrupted concerts, the orchestra was actually founded in 1893, making it one of the oldest symphony orchestras in the United States.
The orchestra, boasting a membership of highly talented musicians, plays an eight-concert subscription season in the Abraham Chavez Theater in downtown El Paso. EPSO has several educational outreach programs to include the Young People’s Concerts, which are a series of six concerts performed for an estimated 14,000 area school children.
Special gala performances include Rudolf Nureyev, the Texas Opera Theatre, Gershwin, and others. For ticket information, call 532-3776 or visit their website at www.epso.org.
El Paso Zoo
The El Paso Zoo displays animals in natural settings in a way that allows for easy viewing by young children. The 18 acres contain about 240 species including about 500 mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds, 700 fish and 500 invertebrates. Exhibits include a Reptile House, South American Pavilion, Americas Aviary, Cisneros Paraje, Birds of Prey, American Biome, Forest Atrium, Asian Grasslands, Asian Endangered Walk, and an Elephant Complex.
The zoo is located at 4001 E. Paisano. Summer hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Winter hours are Sunday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit the Zoo’s website at www.elpasozoo.org or call 521-1850.
Hueco Tanks State Historical Park
Hueco Tanks State Historical Park, 6900 Hueco Tanks Road No. 1, consists of 860 acres of interesting rock formations, including caves and rock shelters that can be explored. It is named for the large natural rock basins or “huecos” that have furnished a supply of trapped rain water to dwellers and travelers in this arid region of west Texas for a millennia. The area, used by Indians for centuries, contains more than 2,000 pictographs. It was later a rest stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route.
A hiker follows a trail into Hueco Tanks State Historial Park.
The site includes a historic ranch house that serves as the park's interpretive center, and ruins of a stagecoach station. Activities include picnicking, camping, hiking, rock climbing, birding, nature study, viewing of prehistoric and historic pictographs, stargazing, slide shows, and guided tours.
Hueco Tanks offers different programs and opportunities, and the hours of operation change depending on the activity and the season. To learn about the various activities, hours of operation and directions to the park, visit their website at www.tpwd.state. tx.us/ spdest/findadest/parks/hueco_tanks/ or call 857-1135.
The Mission Trail
Located in El Paso’s Lower Valley (take Zaragosa Road south from Interstate 10, Exit 32) are three stately adobe churches that remain as living testaments to the faith of our Spanish and Indian ancestors. The Ysleta Mission, established in 1682, is the cornerstone of the Ysleta del Sur Indian Pueblo. Two miles east on Socorro Road is the Socorro Mission, first built in 1682 and currently under renovation. Six miles farther east is the San Elizario Chapel established in 1789. For more information, call 422-1700.
Tigua Cultural Center
The Tigua Indian Reservation is one of the oldest communities in the Southwest and is now a part of El Paso. The original mission church is still the religious focal point of the Tigua Indian community, which was built when the Tigua Indians and the Spanish missionaries settled in the El Paso del Norte following their flight from the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
The Tigua Tribe Museum traces the history of the Indians of the Southwest through a fine collection of artifacts, paintings, and folklore. Those searching for unique qifts will find several family-operated gift shops, with artists working at the shops. The Tigua Indian Social Dancers perform a wide variety of Indian dances for visitors at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Traditional Indian bread making is conducted on Saturday mornings.
The Tigua Cultural Center is located at 305 Yaya Lane at Socorro Road just east of the Ysleta Mission. It is open to visitors 8:30 a.m. through 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, call 859-7700.
Viva! El Paso!
Now in its 29th season, Viva! El Paso! celebrates over 400 years of history through music, dance, and theater. Each performance provides a snapshot of the evolution of El Paso’s four cultures – Indian, Spanish, Mexican and Western. Performances are in the heart of El Paso at the McKelligon Canyon Amphitheater which is a central player in the show. Performances are at 8:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays during the summer months. For more information and performance dates, call 467-0617.
Woodrow Bean Transmountain Lookout Franklin Mountain State Park
Spectacular views await those who follow I-10 west to the Woodrow Bean Transmoun-tain Road thence deep into the canyons rising to an altitude almost one mile high.
The Wyler Aerial Tramway offers a 360 degree view of El Paso.
At the western vista, park and look into the Rio Grande Valley nourishing cotton, corn, chili peppers and other crops. To the west is Mt. Riley in New Mexico and to the north is Las Cruces, N.M., while to the south is the city of Juarez, Mexico.
The immediate surrounding area is part of the largest urban park in the nation…the Franklin Mountains State Park. Covering about 37 square miles within the El Paso City limits, the park has easy access for those who enjoy hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing.
Visit the FMSP website at www.tpwd. state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/ or call 566-6441 for more information.
Wyler Aerial Tramway
The Wyler Aerial Tramway Franklin Mountains State Park features an aerial cable car situated on 195 acres of rugged mountain and rock formations on the east side of the Franklin Mountains.
Driving the paved road that snakes up the east side of the Franklin Mountains from the intersection of McKinley and Alabama streets is half the fun. Visitors arrive at a parking area that sits at an elevation of 4,692 feet. The view of El Paso, to the east, is magnificent. Here visitors can admire the beauty of cacti gardens or watch the tramway gondolas take off.
Visitors can purchase tickets at the tramway station to ride a gondola that will transport them to the top of Ranger Peak. The Swiss-made gondolas travel on a 2,600 foot long, 1 3/8 inch diameter steel cable. While waiting to depart, the visitor can view part of the machinery and mechanism of the system through a window located on the south side of the base station. On the ride to the top, the cabin attendant will describe the different cacti and rock formations along the way. Abundant wildlife, including reptiles, birds and insects, offer exciting viewing opportunities. The four minute ride soars above a vast canyon that is 240 feet deep in some places.
From Ranger Peak, 5,632 feet above sea level, the visitor can enjoy the view of 7,000 square miles encompassing three states and two nations.
The station at the top provides accessible ramps and paved grounds leading into an observation deck with a 360 degree view.
Current conditions can vary from day to day. For more details or directions, visit their website at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/wyler_aerial_tram/ or call the park at 1-800-792-1112 or 566-6622.
Texas
The name Texas is from tejas, an Indian word meaning friendly. That ancient language is heard no more, but the spirit of tejas lives on in today’s Texas.
The distance from El Paso, the western-most city of the state, to Orange, on the Texas-Louisiana border, is 875 miles. The distance between Brownsville, the southernmost city on the Gulf of Mexico to Amarillo, near the Texas-Oklahoma border is 855 miles.
After you get settled in at Fort Bliss, the Texas Tourist Information Bureau at Anthony, Texas, a suburb of El Paso should be your first stop. It has a trained staff of tourist counselors and printed literature to make your travels throughout the state pleasant and worry free.
Among that literature is the annual Travel Guide published by the Travel Division of the Texas Department of Transportation. It divides the state into seven regions for the pleasure of its traveling public.
Big Bend Country is an untamed paradise of colorful mountains and desert floors. In Big Bend Country, the sky’s no limit. Nowhere else in Texas do the stars at night shine quite so bright or the sunsets seem quite so rosy. Here, too, the earth displays its own vigor. Prickly Pear cacti bloom with fuchsia ferocity and golden exuberance as desert vistas shimmer far into the distance. Nomadic tumbleweeds bounce erratically across lonesome prairies, and craggy mountain peaks form a jagged phalanx on the horizon.
Music, rolling hills, spring-fed rivers, and dude ranches all make up the Texas Hill Country. Maybe it's the serene valleys tucked between rolling, cedar-studded hills or the abundant indigo and scarlet wildflowers of spring. Perhaps it’s the cypress trees that line meandering river banks or the friendly small towns where time ticks at a slower tock.
The Gulf Coast has more than 600 miles of beaches, sand dunes, and cultural attractions. The vast Gulf of Mexico weaves its watery spell upon seafarers and landlubbers alike. For, in addition to the bounty of the shimmering sea surfing its shores, Texas offers an abundance of terrific terra firma along its 624-mile coastline.
Big Skies, sweeping sunsets, great plains, and breathtaking vistas span the Panhandle Plains. Some folks call this region of Texas gloriously flat, some say it's just plain glorious. These vast, open lands – like the overwhelming expanses of the ocean, often evoke superlatives and always excite the imagination. Artist Georgia O’Keeffe, who once lived here (in Amarillo and Canyon), reveled in “the beauty of that wild world” and portrayed the expansive luminosity of the plains in her magnificent paintings.
Acres of pine forests and historic towns accentuate the Piney Woods. In the Piney Woods of East Texas, Nature lays down a wondrous welcome mat. Carpeted with fragrant pine needles, brimming with lakes both mammoth and mysterious, and seasonally rich with radiant roses, delicate dogwoods, and exquisite azaleas, this inviting area both fascinates and captivates.
“Prairies and Lakes.” Does that title really tell the tale? Well, yes-and no. Prairies and Lakes paint merely the pastoral brush strokes in this region’s richly textured panorama. The full picture emerges only when you add the dynamic cities, charming communities, and colorful history that enliven this attraction-packed section of Texas.
The South Texas Plains features Spanish missions, theme parks, and more, and lays claim to be the Gateway to old Mexico. Say hello to the Alamo – and adios to the winter blues and the summer doldrums. Soak up some sun in the tropical Rio Grande Valley. Stroll the streets of Laredo. Attend a fiesta, admire a Picasso, and savor a salsa-spiced snack. You will soon find that there is nothing plain about the South Texas Plains. Throughout the year, this fascinating region, from San Antonio to the Rio Grande, offers delights, muy especial!
New Mexico attractions
El Paso is closer to New Mexico than any community in Texas. Consequently, most El Pasoans travel to the Land of Enchantment for sightseeing, recreation and cultural undertakings.
This section is devoted to some of the many, many attractions available in one, two, or three or more day trips. New Mexico offers outstanding facilities for its visitors and clean, comfortable accommodations are available at reasonable prices throughout the state.
Additional information about the state and its many offerings to the visitor can be obtained by contacting the Department of Tourism at 800-733-6396 Ext. 0643 or visit their web site at www.newmexico.org. Or visit their Visitor Information Center in Anthony, New Mexico.
Ski Apache
Ski Apache, America’s southern-most major ski area is located in the Sacramento Mountains near Ruidoso, N.M., and is only 130 miles from Fort Bliss (2.5 hours).
Today Ski Apache is known throughout the Southwestern United States for its well groomed slopes, 200 mile views from the top, nearly never ending brilliant sunshine and a unique atmosphere, call it, southwestern Apache alpine.
The base elevation at Ski Apache is 9,600 ft and rises to a top elevation of 11,500 ft., which means a vertical drop of 1,900 ft. (really great for the middle of the desert). The area’s 55 trails are serviced by 11 lifts (two surface tows, five triples, two quads, one double and New Mexico’s only Gondola). The skiing terrain is spread over 750 acres including the wide-open Apache Bowl. The terrain breaks down to 45 percent advanced, 35 percent intermediate, and 20 percent beginner. Combine all this with great snow, two day lodges, two cafeterias, ski school, Kiddie Koral, sports store and rental shop, and you have plenty of excitement and skiing fun.
For more information, visit their website at www.skiapache.com/index.html or call 505-464-3500.
International Space Hall of Fame
The International Space Hall of Fame, east of Alamogordo, N.M., is about 90 minutes from El Paso and is a unique collection of space technology, replicas and actual items, equipment and vehicles used in the U.S. space program from its beginning to the present. The International Space Hall of Fame enlarges its collection after each U.S. space mission.
Highlights of the museum’s programs include a wide variety of films, lectures, and exhibits to include a mock up of the International Space Station.
The Clyde W. Tombaugh IMAX Theater and Planetarium houses the world’s largest format projection system with a wraparound screen and surround sound. Several short movies are offered daily, for start times and specific movie titles, visit the Hall of Fame’s website at www.spacefame.org/ .
The International Space Hall of Fame is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For more information, call (505) 437-2840 or 1-877-333-6589.
Caballo Lake State Park
The Caballo Mountains serve as a majestic backdrop for Caballo Lake State Park. The park boasts a full array of water recreation, winter waterfowl watching, and cactus gardens in bloom.
Boating, sailing, swimming, water skiing, fishing and windsurfing are some of the wet and wild activities available at the Park. The lake and river provide anglers with the opportunity to catch a variety of fish including catfish, largemouth bass, walleye, white bass, crappie, bluegill, northern pike and sunfish.
A popular area for fishing and other water sports, Caballo Lake is about 100 miles northwest of El Paso off of I-25. The area is complete with drinking water, restrooms and picnic facilities.
Visitors can stroll among yuccas, century plants, ocotillos, prickly pears, and other desert cacti growing in the park’s two cactus gardens. Most of these cacti provide beautiful blooms in late March and early April.
For more information, visit their website at www.emnrd.state.nm.us/emnrd/parks/caballo.htm or call (505) 743-3942 or 1-877-NM-4-RSVP.
Elephant Butte State Park
New Mexico’s largest lake, popular for fishing, boating and camping, Elephant Butte is 125 miles northwest of El Paso on I-25. The visitor center offers regional interpretive exhibits.
Elephant Butte Reservoir, created by a dam constructed across the Rio Grande in 1916, is 40 miles long with more than 200 miles of shoreline. Although constructed to provide for irrigation and flood control, the lake is New Mexico’s premier water recreation facility. A wide variety of water sports are available at the lake, with fishing being one of the most popular.
Visit the park’s website for more information concerning fees, hours and more. Their website is www.emnrd.state.nm.us/emnrd/ parks/elephant.htm or call (505) 744-5923 or 1-877-NM-4-RSVP.
War Eagles Air Museum
The War Eagles Air Museum is in a spacious 64,000 sq. ft. building located at the Doña County Airport in Santa Teresa, N.M. Visitors will discover the warbirds of the World War II era, and jet fighters used in the Korean Conflict, and later. These include some of the famous fighters such as the P-51 Mustang, the P-38 Lightning, the P-40 Warhawk, the F-4U-4 Corsair, plus a twin-engine Invader bomber, a DC-3 transport and a German observation aircraft, the Fiesler-Storch. An F-86 Sabre, a T-33 Silver Star and MIG-15s are among the jets built in the 1950s. Twenty-two of the aircraft are in flying condition! The museum actively pursues the acquisition and restoration of historical aircraft.
For more information and hours of operation, visit the museum’s website at www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/ or call (505) 589-2000.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
One of the more popular and well known attractions of the Southwest is Carlsbad Caverns, one of the world’s largest underground chambers and countless formations.
Established to preserve Carlsbad Cavern and numerous other caves within a Permian-age fossil reef, the park contains more than 100 known caves, including Lechuguilla Cave – the nation’s deepest limestone cave at 1,567 feet (478m) and fourth longest.
All visitors to the park should tour the main section of the cave, the Big Room Self-Guided Route. The Natural Entrance Self-Guided Route is also very impressive, but it is not recommended for visitors with any kind of health problems because it is very steep.
More than three miles of underground corridors and huge chambers, each vying for outstanding beauty and magnificence, make a visit one to be long remembered.
Guided tours are conducted daily and comfortable walking shoes are encouraged.
Souvenir shops, a snack bar, and restaurant are located in the cave. A complete tour of the caverns takes about three hours.
Hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats make an area near the cave’s natural entrance their home during the summer months. The Bat Flight experience is not to be missed. Prior to the evening bat flight, a talk is given at the cavern entrance by a park ranger. The best bat flights normally occur in August and September. At this time baby bats, born in early summer, join the flight along with migrating bats from colonies further north.
For more information, call (505) 785-2232 or visit their website at www.nps.gov/ cave/index.htm.
Outdoor enthusiasts can cool off at Ski Apache, America’s southern-most major ski area located near Ruidoso, N.M.
White Sands National Monument
Often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the White Sands National Monument, just 100 miles from El Paso, is a 275 acre playground of pure white sand dunes shifting over the world’s largest deposit of surface gypsum.
Despite its location in the middle of the desert of the great Southwest, the monument includes picnic areas and shelters, drinking water, restrooms, a museum and snack bar with a full range of activities.
A balloon takes flight at the annual White Sands Balloon Fest.
The scenery is outstanding and grownups as well as children can work up a healthy appetite sand skiing and sledding on the cool, glistening snow-like sand. For information concerning the hours of operation for all activities, visit the monument’s website at www.nps.gov/whsa/ or call (505) 679-2599 or (505) 479-6124.
Hunting and fishing
Your assignment at Fort Bliss brings you to an area unsurpassed for its fresh-water fishing and hunting.
However, you will have two distinct sets of state laws regarding hunting and fishing licenses – Texas and New Mexico.
The avid hunter and angler will more than likely take to the mountain lakes and streams of New Mexico so an understanding of the two states’ laws is of prime importance.
Military personnel and their family members residing on Fort Bliss or in El Paso do not qualify for a New Mexico state resident’s license. However, those military personnel permanently assigned to McGregor Range, Doña Ana Range or White Sands Missile Range do qualify for New Mexico resident licenses. Military personnel assigned to Fort Bliss but maintaining residences in New Mexico, also qualify as residents.
For more information, contact New Mexico’s Department of Game and Fish, 2715 Northrise Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88011 or call (505) 532-2100, or visit www.wildlife. state.nm.us/. For Texas state requirements, contact the Parks and Wildlife Department at 1-800-792-1112 or visit www.tpwd.state.tx.us/
Going to Mexico
Thousands of El Pasoans and other Americans enter the Juarez Gateway daily to work, shop or enjoy a dinner or nightclub south of the border.
If you plan to stay more than 72 hours, you must obtain a Mexican Tourist Card from the immigration authorities at the border. A birth certificate or other proof of citizenship is required for U.S. citizens.
Citizens of countries other than the United States should check with the Mexican Consulate and the U.S. Immigration Office before crossing the border into Mexico.
Trips into the interior of Mexico require an automobile permit and Mexican insurance. Texas residents can obtain border coverage by purchasing a rider to their auto insurance policies or purchasing a Mexican insurance policy.
U.S. military personnel are not permitted to wear their service uniform into Mexico. In addition, they must have a DA Form 31 approved by the Servicemember’s commander.
Americans entering Mexico are required to obey all federal and local Mexican laws. A violation of any Mexican law will almost always result in arrest. Mexican law permits keeping arrested persons in jail until their trial.
Juarez
Juarez, the largest port of entry to Mexico on the U.S.-Mexican border, and the first outpost of Mexico, lies just across the Rio Grande from El Paso in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
The history of Juarez coincides with that of El Paso’s, dating back more than 400 years when Spanish conquistadores passed through this area. Juarez was first known as Villa Paso del Norte and has always been the larger of the two sister cities.
Through a combination of unruly disturbances, violence and finally the sudden shifting of the Rio Grande, Juarez was divided. Most of Villa Paso del Norte remained under Mexican control and when Texas entered the Union in 1845, the separation was further strengthened.
Juarez’s history is reflected in the fine statue of Benito Juarez, the Mexican patriot for whom the city was named in the last century. Throughout the central part of the city are sites of historic interest, including the lava stone government buildings and the classic bullring.
The oldest and most venerable relic of early times is the Guadalupe Mission which was constructed in 1659 by Spanish missionaries. Today, the small church rests in the city’s central square next to the magnificent Juarez Cathedral.
Perhaps the most popular activity for Americans visiting Juarez is browsing in the many stores and shops. Hundreds of shops offer an almost unimaginable variety of arts, crafts, souvenirs, and clothing, all at extremely low prices.
Mexico’s Interior
From Juarez, the motorist travels through a variety of landscapes and historic cities such as Chihuahua, Torreon, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi and Queretaro to Mexico City, one of the most beautiful capitols of the world.
The Chihuahua-Pacific Railway connects Juarez with Los Mochis and Topolobampo on the Mexican Pacific Coast. The trip takes the tourist through the inspiring La Barranca del Cobre, known as the Grand Canyon of Mexico.
Returning to the U.S.
As of Jan. 23, 2007, all persons, including U.S. citizens, must present a passport, Merchant Mariner Document (presented by U.S. citizen merchant mariners traveling on official business) or NEXUS Card (NEXUS enrollment is limited to citizens of the United States and Canada, and lawful permanent residents of the United States and Canada). Children will be required to present their own passport.
Beginning Jan. 31, 2008, U.S. and Canadian citizens 19 years and older who enter the U.S. at land and sea ports of entry from within the Western Hemisphere will need to present government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license as proof of identity, along with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or naturalization certificate, or a passport. Children age 18 and under will be able to enter with proof of citizenship (birth certificate, naturalization certificate or a passport). Verbal claims of citizenship and identity alone will not be sufficient to establish identity and citizenship for entry into the United States.
As early as summer 2008, all travelers who enter or depart the U.S. by any means (land, sea or air) will be required to have a valid passport, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST, Border Crossing Card or other acceptable document.
The State Department also intends to make available in spring 2008 a limited-use Passport Card, specifically for land and sea travel from these neighboring countries. Ample notice of the exact date of implementation will be provided to ensure travelers can obtain the appropriate documents.
U.S. customs allows each citizen to bring back, duty free, articles for personal or household use valued up to $400, once every 30 days.
Persons over 21 years of age may return to the U.S. with one quart of liquor and either one carton of cigarettes or 100 cigars (non-Cuban) duty free once every 30 days.
Federal taxes are levied on alcoholic beverages exceeding that limit. The state of Texas levies a tax on all alcoholic beverages brought through Texas’ ports of entry.
Texas law forbids entry into Texas with liquor in any container less than one-half pint or more than 32 ounces. The 40-ounce Imperial quart is illegal.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection website contains valuable information (www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/)
Information concerning all phases of visiting Mexico can be obtained by calling one of the following: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 633-7300; or the U.S. Consulate in Juarez, 534-6060.