Presidio Chapel of San Elizario--South and West Texas; A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary

Presidio Chapel of San Elizario
Photo from Historic American Buildings Survey, David J. Kaminksy, photographer

The present Presidio Chapel of San Elizario was constructed in 1877 to replace an earlier chapel that had been destroyed by a flood. The original chapel was built for Mexican troops stationed in the valley in the 1770s. U.S. 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 one-story adobe chapel is built in the traditional Spanish Mission style.

The Presidio Chapel of San Elizario is located on the south side of the Plaza in San Elizario, south of El Paso on Hwy. 20. The Visitor Center and Museum are located at 1521 San Elizario Rd. and are open 10:00am to 2:00pm Tuesday-Saturday and 12:00pm to 4:00 pm on Sunday. For further information call the Visitor Center, 915-851-1682, Tour Information, 915-851-6413 or the El Paso Mission Trail Association, 915-534-0677. The Presidio Chapel of San Elizario has also been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey. The Presidio Chapel of San Elizario is featured in the National Park Service El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail Travel Itinerary.