Ysleta Mission--made of adobe, clay, straw and Spanish vigas

Ysleta Mission, established 1680, is the oldest continuously active parish in the state of Texas, and the community of Ysleta is the oldest in Texas, dating back to 1682.  The Rio Grande flooded in 1744 and again in 1829, and the current mission building was built in 1851.  Today it is one of the jewels of the Rio Grande, a beautiful and proud landmark in the Mission Valley of El Paso.

Read more about the Mission Valley here. 
Want a guided tour?  Click here for more information!

Touring the Mission Trail

Have you wanted to tour El Paso's Mission Trail, but didn't want to drive yourself...or you wanted someone to share the incredible history of the area with you?  Now you can get aboard the Mission Trail Experience, a guided van tour to take you to all the neat places along the Trail.

Recently, we heard from the folks at the Mission Trail Experience, and they described their tour this way: 

Confined to plutonium-powered DeLoreans and unwieldy telephone booths, time travel is a dangerous and mischief-baiting activity. Instead, let history repeat itself as often as you can stand it with a tour on the Mission Trail Experience.

Choose between the following options: For $25, you get a ticket for the San Elizario Historic District Tour. For $40, you get a ticket for the entire 9-mile corridor, Mission Trail Tour. Mission Trail Experience walks history lovers through El Paso's past on tours that explore museums and offer eyes feasts of architecture dating back to the days of Spanish colonization. The three- to four-hour tour of the San Elizario historical district pauses at 17 sites of local and historical importance, such as the colonial Presidio Chapel and the Old County Jail. Embark on the four- to five-hour Mission Trail tour to venture farther afield, visiting the colonial Ysleta and Socorro missions, along with the San Elizario chapel and the Tigua Indian Cultural Center.

Both tours include lunch and allow sightseers time to peruse nearby art galleries and shops, ideal for purchasing souvenirs that can prove your whereabouts to jealous golden retrievers. Though not included in the value, the shuttle service connects the tours to eight local hotels ($8 charge), with rides available to and from the tour sites. See It! Feel It! Believe It!

For more information, visit the Mission Trail Experience's website, here.

Beautiful on the outside, beautiful on the inside

Our last day in this series on the three El Paso Missions shows the interiors of each.  In order, (top to bottom):  San Elizario, Ysleta, Socorro.  The adobe buildings are BEAUTIFUL on the outside, as you've seen in our previous postings, but we want to encourage you to stop and experience the inside of each mission too.  For more information on the Missions and tour opportunities, click here to visit the El Paso Mission Association website. 

Ysleta Mission

From the El Paso Mission Trail Association website:

"Ysleta del Sur, established in 1680 by Antonio de Otermin and Fray Francisco de Ayaeta and built with the sweat and labor of the Tigua Indians has gone through many transformations. La Mision de Corpus Christi de San Antonio de la Ysleta del Sur as it is known today is built of adobe bricks, clay, straw, and Spanish vigas.  Today it is one of the crowning jewels along the Mission Trail and the community around it. 
The beautiful silver dome and unique Tigua art blend together two cultures that have lasted close to 400 years along the Southwest's Camino Real.

The Mission is the oldest continuously active parish in the state of Texas, and the community of Ysleta is the oldest town in Texas, it is dated back to 1682.  The Tigua Indians were forced to flee their pueblo at Isleta, New Mexico and establish the agricultural community of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo. 
The Rio Grande flooded the mission once in 1744 and again in 1829.  In 1851 the current Mission was originally a rectangular stock of blocks.  The façade was later changed to a pitched, gable shape.  About 1897, the gable was enlarged and a beehive-shaped dome bell tower was added and later painted to the silver color we see today, capping three centuries of natural disasters."

 
The association is offering tours of all the missions on El Paso's Mission Trail.   On your next trip to El Paso, check it out!Thanks to the THC's Randy Mallory for this great photo of the Mission's interior!

Ysleta del Sur Pueblo

From their great website:  "Ysleta del Sur Pueblo is the oldest community in the State of Texas. The Tigua Tribal Council is the oldest government in the state.

The Ysleta Mission, founded by the Tigua Indians in 1682, is the oldest parish in the State of Texas. In Spanish “del Sur” means “of the south” to contrast it with the mother pueblo of Isleta of the north, that is located just south of modern-day Albuquerque, New Mexico. The old Spanish spelling with "Y" has been retained for Ysleta del Sur Pueblo in El Paso, Texas.

Ysleta del Sur Pueblo has a tribal population of some 1,200 members. The combined reservation lands include two housing communities and several tracts near the Ysleta Mission and Hueco Tanks. Other tribally-owned lands include the historic Chilicote Ranch near Valentine, Texas." 

This website offers great travel information and background information on the local Tigua Tribe.  If you're in the lower El Paso Mission Valley region, take the time to wander and enjoy!

Ysleta Mission

Home of a still active congregation, the Ysleta Mission is part of El Paso County's famed Mission Trail.