Presidio Chapel of San Elizario

San Elizario is on of the oldest communities in the El Paso area, with a fort or presidio established to protect the Camino Real (Royal Road) and the area settlements. The original chapel was built in 1935 for Mexican troops stationed in the valley in the 1770s. US troops were assigned to the Presidio in 1850 and during the Civil War volunteers from California were stationed there to prevent a reoccupation of the area by Confederate forces. The present Presidio Chapel of San Elizario was constructed in 1877 to replace the earlier chapel which had been destroyed by a flood. In 1935 a fire destroyed the original interior. The current interior dates back to the 1944. Visiting these old churches has sparked an inerest in the history surrounding the El Paso area. I can't wait until we return so that I can learn even more.