Lincoln Park aka Chicano Park

It’s not difficult to tell whether the official tourist organizations in El Paso consider Lincoln Park a plus or a minus. It doesn’t appear in any of their brochures or promos and only rarely does any city official venture there—usually on one of the four celebrations held there each year. But in the shade beneath the freeway far overhead, the pylons supporting I-10 and US-54 are covered in Chicano art. Some celebrate cultural connections to ancient Aztecs, others promote classic cars. A few are memorials and some are cloaked in meaning known only to the artists.

The first pylon murals were painted in 1983. In 2011, the Texas Department of Transportation planned to demolish many of them to make way for the expansion of I-10. Pushback from citizens stopped the demolition long enough to work out a plan to preserve as many as possible.

This outdoor Chicano Art Gallery has continued to grow, even as many El Pasoans have never visited it. Visitors from out of town almost certainly pass it by and, in doing so, miss the heartbeat of El Paso Chicano culture.