San Jacinto Plaza, El Paso

San Jacinto Plaza is a historic park located on the corner of Oregon and Mills in the heart of Downtown El Paso, Texas. The city of El Paso acquired the property on which the Plaza is located in 1881 and created a park. By 1883, the park was surrounded by a fence, a walled pond was created, a gazebo was erected, 75 Chinese Elm trees were planted and then three alligators were introduced into the pond.

The alligators were the central attraction and thrived. At one time the pond contained as many as seven of the reptiles. Many people still fondly refer to the plaza as “La Plaza de los Lagartos,” or Alligator Plaza. Today, a fiberglass sculpture by nationally acclaimed local artist Luis Jiménez honors the original alligators.

Since 1954, the traditional lighting of the city christmas tree in the Plaza has officially begun the Christmas season in El Paso. Today the plaza is a transportation center, and volumes of people remain seated on benches almost daily. Friends gather to eat and socialize.