Home > Destinations > North America > USA > Texas > West Texas > El Paso > Attraction > Chamizal National Memorial
Frommers.com Frommers.com
Most Recent El Paso Forum Posts
Most Recommended Articles
Most Commented Articles

Chamizal National Memorial Frommer's Highly Recommended

800 S. San Marcial Dr, El Paso, TX

Frommer's ReviewMap It
Hours Park daily 5am-10pm. Visitor center Tues-Sat 10am-5pm
Location At Paisano Dr. and U.S. 54 (Patriot Fwy.),
Phone 915/532-7273
Web site www.nps.gov/cham
Prices Free admission, with fees for some events in the amphitheater

Review of Chamizal National Memorial

When the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, the two countries agreed on a border: the center of the deepest channel of the Rio Grande. However, as historian Leon C. Metz once wrote, "Rivers are never absolutely permanent. They evaporate, flood, change channels, shrink, expand, and even disappear. Rivers are, by nature, capricious." After the war, the Rio Grande gradually shifted southward, resulting in a diplomatic stalemate between Mexico and the United States over the boundary's location. This impasse lasted until 1964, finally ending when presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Adolfo López Mateos signed the Chamizal Treaty. Parcels of land were exchanged, residents and businesses were uprooted, and a permanent, concrete channel was constructed to signify a more predictable boundary.

Commemorating the dispute's peaceful resolution, the 55-acre park at the Chamizal National Memorial commemorates the dispute's settlement with a bevy of facilities: 2 miles of foot trails, an outdoor amphitheater and indoor theater that host many free concerts and other events, and a visitor center with a museum, three galleries, and a bookstore (expect to spend an hour touring the museum and galleries). It's a nice open space that's more accessible and greener than the Franklin Mountains and larger than the other municipal parks. There is also a walkway to the adjacent Bridge of the Americas leading to the memorial's Mexican counterpart, Parque Chamizal, with an anthropology museum and an amusement park in Ciudad Juárez.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.


Back to Top



Destination Guide
Destination Guide Destination Guide Destination Guide
Destination Guide Destination Guide Frommer's Texas, 6th Edition Destination Guide Frommer's Texas, 6th Edition

Author: David Baird
Pub Date: July 20, 2011

Learn More
Destination Guide Destination Guide Destination Guide Related Titles:
50 HIKES IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO: FROM CHACO CANYON TO THE HIGH PEAKS OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTOS
Destination Guide
AARP Archaeological Sites of the Four Corners Region, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico: ShortCuts
Destination Guide
AARP Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Utah: ShortCuts
Destination Guide
Destination Guide Destination Guide
Destination Guide Destination Guide Destination Guide
Destination Guide
Destinations
Destinations
 
 
Home > Destinations > North America > USA > Texas > West Texas > El Paso > Attraction > Chamizal National Memorial

Frommer's Star Ratings

Frommer's Recommended 0 stars Frommer's Recommended
Frommer's Highly Recommended 1 stars Frommer's Highly Recommended
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended 2 stars Frommer's Very Highly Recommended
Frommer's Exceptional 3 stars Frommer's Exceptional

About Our System

Frommer's ranks every hotel, restaurant, attraction, shop, and nightlife establishment it reviews for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating scale, an expression of the strong compare-and-contrast opinions that are a brand hallmark.

Other ratings provide stars based primarily on price and amenities; the Frommer's star rating is meant to quantify the kind of intangible, experiential elements that help travelers make informed decisions.

The "baseline" recommendation is zero stars--every hotel, restaurant, attraction, shop, and nightlife establishment that Frommer's chooses to review is recommended; otherwise, we simply wouldn't include it.

Close Window