The original Franciscan mission, ''Nuestra Señora de la Concepción del Socorro'', was founded in 1682 by the Franciscan order, to serve displaced Spanish families, American Indians (the Piro, Tano and Jemez) from New Mexico, who fled the central New Mexico region during the Pueblo Revolt. The present Socorro Mission was constructed around 1839 to replace an earlier 18th-century mission destroyed in 1829 by flooding of the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

. The mission, constructed of adobe surfaced with stucco, is particularly notable for its interior. The finely painted and decorated beams, or vigas, are from the 18th-century mission and were reused when the present church was constructed. The massing, details and use of decorative elements of the Socorro Mission show strong relationships to the building traditions of 17th-century Spanish New Mexico. The Socorro Mission is located at 328 S. Nevarez Rd. south of El Paso on

I-10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

at Moon Rd. and FM 258. A full-size replica of the Socorro Mission was featured in El Paso's exhibit in the 1936 Texas Centennial celebration, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. It was later dismantled and rebuilt as St. Anthony Church in Dallas.

References

External links

National Park Service site

El Paso Diocese: La Purísima Parish–Socorro Mission

1682 establishments in the Spanish Empire Spanish missions in Texas National Register of Historic Places in El Paso County, Texas Buildings and structures in El Paso County, Texas Tiwa Puebloans Tourist attractions in El Paso County, Texas Roman Catholic churches in Texas Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Texas State Antiquities Landmarks Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks {{NewSpain-stub

See also

References

External links