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48-558: Segundo Barrio is well known for its murals and cultural character. In 2016, the area was placed on the Most Endangered Places in Texas list compiled by Preservation Texas. El Segundo Barrio shares much of its history with another southern neighborhood, Chihuahuita . El Segundo Barrio has been the "starting point for thousands of families" coming from Mexico since the 1880s. It is the second historic neighborhood of El Paso,

96-524: A billion dollars in business a year." Historically and currently, most residents of Segundo Barrio are farm workers. Segundo Barrio was one of the poorest zip codes in the country for "many years." Today, there is still a low median income in Segundo Barrio. Segundo Barrio is part of District 8 in the City of El Paso. Currently, the district is represented by Cissy Lizarraga. The first school in

144-526: A land grant from Spain where he developed a ranch. Bruseuelas ranch, once established, encouraged other Mexicans to move to Chihuahuita. The Santa Fe Railroad was built in the area in 1881. In the 1890s, more Mexican people migrated north and the area started to be known as Chihuahuita. Flooding in 1897 was especially severe in Chihuahuita, ruining many homes. A gas plant was built at South Chihuahua and Third streets in 1882. An electric power plant

192-497: A member of = The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , who opened an escuelita (little school) 1887 with his own money and started teaching in both English and Spanish. Aoy also helped provide food, clothing and medical assistance. He also provided his own seats, books and blackboards. The El Paso school board took it over in 1888 and renamed it the Mexican Preparatory School. The board appointed Aoy as

240-511: A place to cross into the United States to search for work during the 1990s. In 1993, Chief Agent Silvestre Reyes implemented "Operation Blockade," which increased the number of Border Patrol officers in the area. The strategy did decrease the number of illegal crossings in Chihuahuita. Reyes' policy emphasized border security, rather than the number of arrests. The blockade helped residents because gangs in Chihuahuita used to prey on

288-559: A public history project in conjunction with the Department of History at UTEP. Museo Urbano won the 2013 Outstanding Public History Project Award from the National Council on Public History . The Segundo Barrio Futbol Club has almost 150 kids involved in playing soccer . A basketball camp, Barrio Basketball, has been taking place in Segundo Barrio for several years. The Henderson Middle School chess team took first place in

336-510: A quarter of a mile in size. A historical survey of the area is planned to take place in 2017. Historically Mexicans settled in Chihuahuita. In 1920, 95% of residents were Mexican and in 1930, 97% had Mexican roots. Currently (as of 2017) around 100 families live in the area. City plans for Chihuahuita included parks and swimming areas in 1912. Census records for 1910 showed that nearly half of all school-aged children in El Paso lived in

384-627: A room. Plans to save money for schools in 1919 included cutting the amount of class time for students by teaching first graders in Chihuahuita and other "Mexican" parts of town half days instead of full days. The public schools, Alamo School and Bowie High School opened in 1923. The public is served by the Armijo Library, part of the El Paso Public Library system. In 1921, the Methodist Church in El Paso built

432-490: Is another Catholic church in the area. The Rose Gregory Houchen Settlement was founded in 1912 in the center of Segundo Barrio. For many years, it was the "only consistent source of social services in Segundo Barrio." The Settlement was staffed mainly by members of the Methodist Church and provided rooms for Mexican women and a kindergarten . By 1918 Houchen was also providing citizenship classes and other classes such as cooking, carpentry, Bible study and English classes. During

480-545: Is called net or disposable income. The median equivalised disposable income is the median of the disposable income which is equivalised by dividing income by the square root of household size; the square root is used to acknowledge that people sharing accommodation benefit from pooling at least some of their living costs. The median equivalised disposable income for individual countries corrected for purchasing power parity (PPP) for 2021 in United States dollars

528-532: Is located on the border of the Rio Grande at the Mexico–United States border . For most of the twentieth century, the name Chihuahuita was used to refer to all of southern El Paso, often including El Segundo Barrio . In 1991, Chihuahuita was designated as a historic district by the city of El Paso. Chihuahuita's history dates back over 400 years. Prior to European arrival, Manso Indians lived on

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576-454: Is necessary to produce statistics such as the median, can pose challenges and yield results inconsistent with aggregate national accounts data. For example, an academic study on the Census income data claims that when correcting for underreporting, U.S. median gross household income was 15% higher in 2010 (table 3). When taxes and mandatory contributions are subtracted from income, the result

624-451: Is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average ) income. Both of these are ways of understanding income distribution . Median income can be calculated by household income , by personal income , or for specific demographic groups. The measurement of income from individuals and households, which

672-584: Is the oldest area of El Paso. It is located in the southernmost area of the city and is between downtown El Paso and the rail yards . It lies along the Mexico-United States border . When the city designated it as a historic district, the boundaries of the neighborhood included Canal Street on the north, the Franklin Canal in the south and Santa Fe Street to the East. The area is around

720-513: The El Paso Herald-Post in 1964. In the 1970s and 1980s, Chihuahuita was a "hot spot" for selling and buying heroin and the trade was run by Gilberto Ontiveros, also known as El Greñas. During this time, there was a strong gang in the area known as the Chihuahuita gang. Residents also began to seek historic designation in 1979. The area was designated as a historic district finally in 1991. Many Mexicans used Chihuahuita as

768-496: The insurrectos , or revolutionaries. The majority of Mexicans settled in Chihuahuita because the housing was more affordable there. Poor sanitary conditions in the area were described by the El Paso Herald early on. Physicians, including Dr. Michael P. Schuster, husband of Eugenia Schuster , reported unhealthful conditions and advocated for improved sewage and free garbage pick-up. Many Mexican families put up with

816-674: The 1950s, the Houchen staff composed of Mexican women developed a community centered approach to meet the needs of the El Segundo Barrio residents. These women were: Mary Lou Lopez, Maria Rico, Elisabeth Soto, Febe Bonilla, Clara Saramiento, Maria Pyan, Beatrice Fernandez and Ofilia Chavez. The Settlement eventually evolved into more of a community center, with ties to the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). In

864-423: The 1950s, there were two LULAC chapters located at Houchen, one for teens and another for adults. The Houchen settlement remained until 1962. The center continues to evolve, with plans to open an organic market. Centro De Salud Familiar La Fe also provides a community center with art, adult education classes and a technology center. Several books have been written about living in El Segundo Barrio. Champion of

912-410: The 1950s. In the 1950s, it was recorded that there were still "more than 12,000 substandard dwelling units in the area, an average of seven families per toilet, with an average of ten persons per family." In the 1960s, the city finally made improvements to Segundo Barrio, paving and lighting streets. The Rio Grande, which did not flow in a regular channel was eventually routed through a cement channel in

960-490: The 1960s. Land containing tenements on the El Paso side was given up to create the channel. July 1967 saw a tragic fire that destroyed a tenement building which had no fire escapes . Three children died in the fire. People were mobilized by the tragedy of the fire and began to protest , first starting at the El Sagrado Corazon Catholic Church and then moving on to City Hall. The protests had

1008-632: The 1980s, Segundo Barrio was considered a "rough neighborhood." Flooding in 2006 affected Segundo Barrio. The area was evacuated temporarily in August 2006. A historic building which dated from 1910, the Casitas del Norte Apartments were damaged by the flooding and subsequently renovated by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). In 2010, the City of El Paso devised a Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy. The strategy

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1056-637: The Barrio: The Legacy of Coach Buryl Baty (2015). It is a biography of Baty who coached football at Bowie high school. In 1996, Gloria López-Stafford wrote a memoir of her life in Segundo Barrio. It was called A Place in El Paso: A Mexican-American Childhood . Marquez, Benjamin. Power And Politics in a Chicano Barrio: A Study of Mobilization Efforts and Community Power in El Paso. Lanham: University Press of America, 1985. A documentary film created for PBS , "One Square Mile: El Paso - Segundo Barrio"

1104-565: The Canal Kids, Sinners, Las Pompas, La Chihua and the Roadblockers took over much of the area. In the 1950s, the streets of Chihuahuita were finally paved. People were still living in tenements "where as many as ten families shared a single toilet and relied on a central hydrant for water," according to Monica Perales. "General clean up" of the area included a "majority of the houses and buildings condemned and destroyed," according to

1152-473: The Chihuahuita district. Recreational areas were proposed in 1922, and considered a priority by George E. Kessler , a landscape engineer . The area he recommended consisted of two blocks next to Aoy School in the neighborhood and would include a playground and general recreation area. Chihuahuita Recreation Center on Charles Street offers sports and summer camps for youth. It was first opened in 1981. Median household income The median income

1200-719: The Freeman Clinic. The clinic had ties to the Rose Gregory Houchen Settlement House. Freemen Clinic was geared towards well-baby exams, and prenatal care. The emphasis on infant health was due to the "alarmingly high" rate of infant mortality during the time. Later, the Freeman Clinic was demolished in 1937 in order to open a twenty-two bed hospital, the Newark Methodist Maternity Hospital. Centro De Salud Familiar La Fe provides healthcare through clinics in

1248-508: The area did seem to have an effect, with the El Paso Herald reporting "The cleanliness of the infantry camp and the activity of the city health officers has resulted in Chihuahuita turning over a new leaf. Chihuahuita is clean." However, in 1915, a report of the area wrote, "Probably in no place in the United States could such crude, beastly, primitive conditions be found as exist in Chihuahuita." The El Paso Herlad wrote about how it

1296-554: The area was the Sacred Heart School, which opened in 1892. The school was founded by Father Carlos M. Pinto, who was also known as "The Apostle of El Paso." In general, the El Paso School Board did not allow children who did not speak English to enroll in public schools and so "Mexican preparatory schools" were created instead. The first schools in the neighborhood were created by Olives Villanueva Aoy ,

1344-502: The area. For many years, the only playground in Segundo Barrio was part of the Rose Gregory Houchen Settlement House program. El Segundo Barrio has many Chicana/o murals within the neighborhood. Most of the murals were created through "informal arrangements" and the murals were called an "outdoor museum of the border proletariat" by The New York Times . In 2006, a "museum without walls," called Museo Urbano, brought events and workshops to El Segundo Barrio. Museo Urbano evolved into

1392-548: The area. Improvements to the area, despite being recommended by individuals such as George E. Kessler , were largely ignored by the city. As the Great Depression hit the country, the poor in Chihuahuita were also affected. Housing projects were built by the El Paso Housing Authority in the 1940s. Also in the 1940s and 50s, gangs of Pachucos heavily influenced Chihuahuita. Gangs such as

1440-427: The city was neglecting half of its citizens. However, another Herald article urged the city to " annex Chihuahuita," and considered the area a colony of Mexico. The city of El Paso proposed a program of demolishing unsuitable housing, "one block a week," in 1914. General John J. Pershing offered to clean up the area himself, and said he could introduce "modern sanitary methods." The military's presence near

1488-593: The effect of scaring local officials and spurred a conference held at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), to "study the social, economic, and political conditions of south El Paso." A local activist, José Aguilar, created a program called the Mexican-American Committee on Honor, Opportunity, and Service (MACHOS), which required that members live in Segundo Barrio and which advocated on behalf of residents for improved living conditions. In

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1536-506: The first being Barrio Chihuahuita. The railroad arrived in El Paso in 1881, and afterwards, the population of El Paso grew quickly. The first resident of Segundo Barrio was a campesino , or farm worker, named Santiago Alvarado, who received a Mexican land grant to farm the area in 1834. During the Mexican Revolution , many people fled the country, immigrating into El Segundo Barrio. Wealthier migrants continued north, while

1584-430: The generally unpopular idea of improving and creating schools in Chihuahuita. Also in 1913, the suggestion of compulsory school attendance was brought up. In 1915, the El Paso Herald was advocating for the creation of schools in the area. Around 3,000 mostly Spanish-speaking children were not being educated at the time because there were not enough schools in the area. The schools that existed had as many as 120 students to

1632-507: The land. The first European in the area was Francisco Sanchez who introduced horses and other livestock to the area in 1581. A Spanish explorer who visited Chihuahuita called it Los Vueltos del Rio , or Turns of the River in 1583. A Catholic missionary, Fray Alonso de Benavides attempted and failed to convert the Manso to Christianity in 1630. Fray Garcia de San Francisco y Zuniga

1680-714: The novice division for the National Junior High Championship in 2015. El Sagrado Corazon Catholic Church (Sacred Heart Church) was dedicated in 1893, and it continues to be an important church in the area. It is considered the "mother church" of the El Paso Diocese. The church operates adult education programs, a job seeking office, a food pantry and a restaurant and tortilla factory known as Sagrado Corazón Tortilleria & Grill. The church also provides financial support to families who are having trouble paying rent or utilities. Saint Ignacius

1728-497: The poor remained in the barrio. Revolutionaries, spies and journalists lived in Segundo Barrio during the revolution. Francisco Madero lived in different houses in the neighborhood while he was working on a plan to defeat Porfirio Díaz . Pancho Villa also visited El Segundo Barrio, eating ice cream at the local Elite Confectionary. In the 1930s, the barrio was overcrowded, with residents living in presidios or tenements. Progress on upgrading housing had still not been improved by

1776-758: The poverty and unhealthy conditions because they believed they would be able to save enough money to return to Mexico in improved financial standing. Progressive-era reformers in El Paso looked to Chihuahuita as an area that needed attention. A physician, J.A. Samaniego, appealed to the city on June 16, 1910 to create trash collection in the area. The city council then followed up in July with plans for road paving and expansion of water services. The health department also identified 1,500 houses for demolition in September 1910 and that landowners, rather than tenants should be responsible for housing safety. In 1911, Chihuahuita

1824-476: The principal of the preparatory school and given two assistants. Later, Aoy was given another building to use for teaching in 1891. Later, in 1899 the School Board built a six-room school, named Aoy School, in the center of the neighborhood. The new school had the largest enrollment of students in any El Paso school in 1900, with 500 students enrolled. The superintendent of schools in 1913 was supportive of

1872-483: The undocumented immigrants there and cause problems for those in the neighborhood. However, a survey conducted by the Border Rights Coalition in 1993 discovered that around 35% of Chihuahuita's residents didn't feel any safer despite the efforts of Border Patrol officers. Data collected between 1994 and 1996 do show a decrease in crime, with a 92% drop in Chihuahuita after Operation Blockade. When

1920-494: The wire-mesh border fence was built in 2008 on the Mexico-United States border , with part of it bordering Chihuahuita, it blocked the view of the green Rio Grande and canal area. Residents say that the fence has stopped illegal immigration in the area. Some residents report that they miss being able to swim in the canal. An exhibit featuring Chihuahuita opened at the El Paso Museum of History in 2014. Chihuahuita

1968-430: Was a potential "plague spot." The Herald also described how residents were being charged high rates in exchange for substandard conditions. In 1916, the city dealt with Chihuahuita's many health and infrastructure problems by destroying much of the area's housing, displacing residents, many of whom moved back to Ciudad Juarez. A new tax in the form of a $ 5 license for manufacturers and sellers of food and food products

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2016-616: Was constructed by the El Paso Electric Railway Company at Fourth and Santa Fe streets in 1901. A severe criticism of Chihuahuita at the time included its illegal saloons and red light district . However, the city of El Paso itself had moved all regulated prostitution into Chihuahuita in the late 1800s. Prostitutes were charged an operating fee of $ 5.00 per week. The 1910 Mexican Revolution resulted in numerous Mexicans moving north to Chihuahuita, many as refugees. Residents of Chihuahuita sympathized with

2064-621: Was created in 2014. Chihuahuita Chihuahuita (or Little Chihuahua ) is a neighborhood in El Paso, Texas . It has also been known as the "First Ward." It is considered the oldest neighborhood in the city. It has also suffered through extreme poverty in its history. It is currently on the Most Endangered Historic Places list as compiled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation . It

2112-411: Was enacted by the city in 1917. This license forced many producers and food vendors in Chihuahuita to go out of business because it was too expensive to pay. Health issues in the area continued to be noticed through 1922. However, spraying pesticides targeting mosquitoes in the area in the 1930s and increased immunization rates of children in the area helped reduce the number of health issues in

2160-465: Was furious, creating a group called Land Grab Opponents of El Paso. The outcry against destroying buildings in Segundo Barrio caused the city to change its plans. Segundo Barrio is bounded by Paisano Drive, Cesar Chavez Border Highway , Cotton Street and South Mesa Street. Due to historic flooding from the Rio Grande , the curbs of the oldest streets in El Segundo Barrio are still "raised a foot or more." Businesses in Segundo Barrio make "roughly half

2208-533: Was known country-wide for having an extremely high mortality rate , twice as high as areas in New York City . City plans in 1912 included standardizing and paving the roads and improving living conditions for residents of the neighborhood. Problems concerning infrastructure and community health in Chihuahuita were compounded by the lack of action on behalf of the city of El Paso, who made plans, but did not always follow through. The El Paso Herald wrote that

2256-543: Was known locally as "El Plan," and was written up initially by the Paso del Norte Group . The plan was intended to help "address El Segundo's substandard housing as well as its high levels of unemployment," however, the plan also advised demolishing many historic and important cultural buildings. The City would use eminent domain to take property in Segundo Barrio. Approximately 168 acres were slated to be destroyed and about 157 acres would be designated as historic areas. The public

2304-495: Was more successful in establishing himself in the area. He built a mission, "Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de los Mansos del Paso del Norte," in 1659 and forced the Manso to dig irrigation ditches and dams in the area. In 1768, residents of the area under the leadership of Don Joseph Sobrado y Horcasitas built a dam called La Presa to help contain the Rio Grande in the area which often flooded. In 1818, Ricardo Brusuelas received

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