84R24596 JGH-D
By: González H.R. No. 2448
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, With a unique history spanning more than 330 years,
the Ysleta Mission is one of El Paso County's cultural treasures;
and
WHEREAS, La Misión de Corpus Christi de San Antonio de la
Ysleta del Sur was established along the Rio Grande by Franciscan
missionaries in 1680 to serve Tigua Indians who had fled New Mexico
as a result of the Pueblo Indian Revolt; the original church, built
of mud-chinked logs and willow reeds, was soon replaced with one of
adobe, which was consecrated by the Bishop of Tucson in 1682; and
WHEREAS, Over the next two centuries, the Ysleta Mission was
damaged several times by floodwaters, but it was always restored or
rebuilt; another consequence of flooding, however, has proved
enduring: between 1829 and 1831, the course of the Rio Grande
shifted from north of the mission to south of it, and when the river
was established as the international border in 1848, the mission
officially became part of the United States; and
WHEREAS, In 1881, the Ysleta Mission was transferred to the
Jesuit order; the mission's first school was opened in 1918, and it
was eventually split into two schools that operated until 2005,
when one of them was closed; since 1991, the mission has been the
responsibility of the Conventual Franciscan order; the Tiguas
continue to be associated with the mission and observe several
ritual days there every year, the most important of which is the
Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua; and
WHEREAS, The residents of the State of Texas are heirs to an
extraordinarily rich heritage, and the Ysleta Mission serves as an
important reminder of this legacy; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby honor the Ysleta Mission and extend to all those
associated with the mission sincere best wishes for the future;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the mission as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.