El Paso is More Than Just a Border Town
By Sophia Navarro
Located at the western tip of Texas, El Paso is a dry desert where one can find coyotes, roadrunners, and once upon a time, three live alligators.
Yes, you read that right. Three live alligators.
San Jacinto Plaza is located right at the heart of downtown, and at the center of the plaza was “Los Lagartos” Fountain that housed three live alligators. Translating to “The Alligators,” the fountain was the main attraction for visitors for 99 years. According to an article published by the El Paso Times, the three alligators were donated in 1885 by El Pasoan J.F Kopp, who purchased them from New Orleans. He hoped the alligators would add a unique touch.
The article also mentions that some of the city’s most prominent citizens named the alligators Ben Schuster, S. Leipziger and Maud S. Wilson — although no one can really remember why.
Spectators would gather to witness this unbelievable sight. The alligators were able to roam around in their circular shaped enclosure. The pool at the center allowed them to take a dip in the water and when they needed a sunbath, the alligators laid on the rock bed in the middle of the water.
When the original alligators died, they were replaced with newer ones to continue the attraction. The alligators lived at the plaza until 1974 when they were donated to the El Paso Zoo. There were reports of visitors abusing them and putting the animals in danger. At one point, a local stole one of the alligators to prank his professor at Texas Western College. Most people’s childhood pranks included tying their friends shoes together — not stealing a live alligator. But hey, it was the ’70s.
To honor the legacy of the three alligators, El Paso commissioned a commemorative statue and placed it at the center of the plaza in 1995. Designed by native El Pasoan and artist Luis Jimenez was a quirky and somewhat scary fiberglass sculpture of three alligators all entangled and rising up in a dramatic fashion. To this day, the statue remains in place and continues to be loved by those in the community.
The bordertown is full of rich history, from gun fights in saloons, to escaping the Mexican revolution, to gambling and drinking during prohibition. San Jacinto Plaza has been at the center of it all.
San Jacinto Plaza opened in 1883 and is named after the Battle of San Jacinto that was fought for Texas Independence. The original design for the plaza featured a centralized open area surrounded by trees and benches with various sidewalks connecting in the middle. And of course, the alligators.
Throughout the years, the city continues to grow around the plaza, including new restaurants and coffee shops. Even without the live alligators, the plaza still remains an attraction to both El Pasoans and visitors.
Bill Hooten, the president of the El Paso Historical Society, said he can’t imagine what El Paso would have looked like without San Jacinto Plaza.
“Downtown has floundered. Downtown has morphed over the last 20 years,” Hooten said. “But the plaza is just — I don’t think anybody would think of removing it. It’s really too iconic to remove.”
There is more to downtown beyond the plaza. Movies are shown at the Plaza Theater, you can visit one of the three museums, and even cross the border into Mexico.
The city offers the ability to cross into Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, with one of the three international bridges located in downtown.
Even though the two cities are meant to be divided, the bridge helps fuse their cultures.
With a population of more than 678,000 people, 80% of those El Pasoans are Hispanic. Growing up in Chuco town, another alias of El Paso, most people speak both English and Spanish. It is even common to hear people speaking Spanglish, a combination of the two.
Alejandra Lugo first lived in Ciudad Juarez and then moved to El Paso.
“I got a unique experience of a borderland culture, which is not something people are normally exposed to,” Lugo said. “I loved the sense of the merging of both the U.S. and Mexican cultures.”
The ability to cross back and forth between two countries on a daily basis can be uncommon to most people. This allows citizens from both cities to indulge in what both El Paso and Juarez have to offer.
“I did it every other weekend, go eat with my family at the restaurants we would go to when we lived in Juarez,” Lugo said.
El Paso is a city that prides itself on its culture and attractions. From the architecture to the alligators, El Paso is not only a blend of different cultures but a blend of different times.
Places to Visit in Downtown El Paso
- San Jacinto Plaza
Take a stroll down the heart of downtown and visit the “Los Lagartos” Statue. Warning, it might not be so kid friendly. As a born-and-raised El Pasoan myself, I had a fear of getting close to the almost life-like statue when I was young.
2. Tap
The Tap Dive bar is one of the oldest dive bars in El Paso. Being a staple in downtown, those four red walls are full of history. Many celebrities and politicians who visit the sun city are said to stop and eat some of their delicious nachos. It is even rumored that Marylin Monroe sat in one of the booths on her way down to the border to divorce her third husband, Arthur Miller, across the border in Ciudad Juarez.
The Tap is open Sunday-Wednesday 9 a.m.-12 a.m. and Thursday- Saturday 9 a.m.-2 a.m.
3. One of the Three Museums
In the downtown area visitors can find not one, but three different museums; The El Paso History Museum, The El Paso Museum of Art, and The El Children’s Museum. In the history museum, visitors can view exhibitions that focus on the history of El Paso del Norte. The art museum showcases a variety of exhibitions that show the border community and different cultures from around the world. The Children’s Museum offers a variety of interactive experiences that both parents and kids can enjoy.
The El Paso History Museum and The El Paso Museum of Art are open Wednesday- Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The Children’s Museum is currently under renovations but is expected to open winter of 2024.
4. The Plaza Theatre
The Plaza Theatre allows visitors to travel back in time into Old Hollywood. The Plaza Theatre opened in 1930 and has seen various artists, orchestras, and plays on their stage. From the red carpets, chandeliers, and mosaic-tiled floors, this theater is straight out of the past. Even the hallways and restrooms are decorated to keep up the old antique style. Although only open for showings, this theater has remained a staple in downtown.
5. The Plaza Hotel
The newly renovated Plaza Hotel is one of the oldest hotels in El Paso. The hotel opened back in 1899 and has seen a multitude of different guests wander through the halls, including Elizabeth Taylor who lived in the penthouse suite when she filmed Giant. After being closed for 29 years, the hotel reopened in 2020. The rustic feel and vintage style allows guests to transport themselves back to the 1920s. If not staying at the hotel, their rooftop bar and restaurant, La Perla, still warrant a visit.
La Perla Rooftop Bar and Restaurant is open Thursday-Sunday from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m.
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