Chihuahuita

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it — and it's quite a story. The neighborhood of Chihuahuita, which translates to Little Chihuahua, got its start with a man named Ricardo Brusuelas. Spanish authorities granted him land here in 1818, and he made something of it — a prosperous ranch, out on what was then the edge of everything.

Now, the world has a way of reshuffling the deck, and after 1848, the Rio Grande became part of the U.S.-Mexico border. New settlers arrived to farm that same land, and the place began to take on a different character. Then came the Santa Fe railroad in 1881, and Chihuahuita didn't just grow — it grew dramatically.

By 1887 it was designated the city's first ward, a crowded urban area humming with activity. And when the wooden Santa Fe bridge went up in 1892, Chihuahuita became a major entry point for people and goods moving from Mexico into the American Southwest. That's a lot of weight for one neighborhood to carry, and it was just getting started.

The old Brusuelas land grant had by then become the property of Pedro Y. Garcia, who filed an 1894 claim in a Mexican court. That claim set off something that would echo for decades — the Chamizal land dispute, which wasn't finally settled until 1963.

Then 1910 arrived, and with it the Mexican Revolution. Refugees surged north, many of them landing in Chihuahuita, and the neighborhood became what the marker calls a center of intrigue. Residents could stand there and actually watch the fighting across the Rio Grande.

Think about that for a moment. History wasn't something that happened elsewhere — it was right across the water. After the revolution, Chihuahuita kept growing as a gateway into El Paso.

But growth and neglect have a way of traveling together, and the neighborhood became overcrowded, beset with housing and health problems. It took the late twentieth century to bring renewed interest — clean-up efforts, rehabilitation. In 1991 the City of El Paso declared Chihuahuita a historic district, recognizing its long and significant history.

Today it stands as an important reminder of the region's early growth and development. One land grant in 1818 — and look at everything that followed.

What the marker says

Chihuahuita (Little Chihuahua) was settled by Ricardo Brusuelas, who received a land grant from Spanish authorIties in 1818 and developed a prosperous ranch. After 1848, when the Rio Grande became part of the U.S.-Mexico border, new settlers arrived to farm the land. With the coming of the Santa Fe railroad in 1881, Chihuahuita began to grow dramatically. Soon a crowded urban area, it was designated the city's first ward in 1887. When the wooden Santa Fe bridge was built in 1892, the area became a major entry point for people and goods from Mexico into the American Southwest. The old Brusuelas land grant eventually became the property of Pedro Y. Garcia, who filed an 1894 claim in a Mexican court that led to the Chamizal land dispute, finally settled in 1963. The Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910, brought a surge of refugees north, many to Chihuahuita, and it served as a center of intrigue. It also provided views of the fighting across the Rio Grande. After the revolution, it continued to grow as a gateway to El Paso. At the same time, it became an overcrowded and neglected area, beset with housing and health problems. Renewed interest in the historic neighborhood in the late 20th century resulted in clean-up and rehabilitation efforts. In 1991, the City of El Paso declared Chihuahuita a historic district because of its long and significant history. Today, Chihuahuita is an important reminder of the region's early growth and development. (2003)