San Jacinto Plaza
San Jacinto Plaza Credit Destination El Paso
Welcome to El Paso's San Jacinto Plaza, the historic park located on the corner of Oregon and Mills in the heart of downtown.
This tranquil city plaza features green spaces, benches, shade trees, food options, public art, and much more within its confines, this area a highly popular gathering space for the community since it was first established in the 1880s. The site has a history of being a military outpost, meeting place, public art-viewing space, and festival/event home, the plaza seeing everything from horse-drawn carriages to busy taxicabs in its time. One of the most intriguing parts of the plaza's history is its Los Lagartos phase, an 80-year span in which live alligators were incorporated into the central fountain/pond on site. The gators were removed in 1974 and permanently moved to the zoo, but you can still see the commemorative statue today.
During your visit, you will see 16 different plaques of national, state, county, and local significance throughout the plaza area, as well as public art such as the fiberglass sculpture by Luis Jimenez that honors the city's colorful past. There are museums, entertainment venues, historic hotels, and much more within the plaza area, providing a great place for 'art, discourse, and community'.
Be sure to save plenty of time to visit the plaza if you are visiting during the holiday season, the park space coming alive with over 400,000 lights and over 120 decked-out Christmas trees.
