Today El Paso is the Sun City still — a borderland metropolis of mountains, missions, and desert light, proud of four centuries at the Pass and home to a large military community at the edge of the Franklins. Its story runs from the Pueblo and Tigua peoples of the river, through the 1598 naming of the Pass and the oldest mission in Texas, to a modern bicultural crossroads. Our El Paso designs gather that identity into wearable form — the Pass of the North, the Sun City, the star on the mountain. El Paso del Norte — the Pass of the North, a crossing for four hundred years.
Long before any European arrived, Pueblo and desert peoples lived and traded along the Rio Grande at the Pass. In 1598 a Spanish expedition led by Juan de Onate reached the river and gave the crossing its lasting name — El Paso del Norte, the Pass of the North. The mission tradition followed: Fray Garcia de San Francisco founded the first mission of the Pass in 1659, and in 1682, after the Pueblo Revolt drove refugees and the Tigua south, the Ysleta and Socorro missions were built — the oldest in Texas, with Ysleta del Sur Pueblo recognized as the oldest town in the state. For four centuries the Pass was a crossroads on the Camino Real, the royal road of the Spanish Southwest.
Why People Visit El Paso Texas
- Hike Franklin Mountains State Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country, with desert trails and overlooks above the city.
- Drive the Scenic Drive Overlook for the classic view of the valley, the mountains, and the lights of two countries at night.
- Follow the El Paso Mission Trail to Ysleta, the oldest mission in Texas, plus Socorro and the San Elizario chapel.
- Rest at San Jacinto Plaza, the historic downtown square with its sculpted alligators.
- Explore Hueco Tanks State Park for desert rock formations and world-class bouldering.
- Visit the El Paso Museum of Art downtown for regional collections and rotating exhibitions.
