There's a marker in San Elizario. It's one of those politically correct governmental historic markers, the kind that often white-wash history. It simply reads:
"Resentment over private control of the salt lakes of this region, often called the Guadeloupe Lakes, in 1877 led to the El Paso Salt War which entailed the loss of many lives and much property."
I guess it depends on who is paying for such Centennial markers as to how much truth gets told. Just like it depends on who is writing the history textbooks as to which version of the story, or even if the story is told at all, is presented to future generations.
Today, as I read the headlines, I know that it will take more than blades of the finest steel to win the war for the streets of Tiburcio and the rest of the neutral zone in the Juarez Valley. The locals call the area, "El Valle de la Muerte" (The Valley of Death). For them this is nothing new, because history is simply repeating itself with a modern day twist. It's time the rest of the world knew it.
So, today I dust off an old unfinished manuscript, since the time has come to write their story. I'm ready to fight this battle with the most powerful sword of all -- the power of words. Don Ignacio and Senora Carlotta Arguellas will lead my army, but it will take readers like you to help bring them alive. I hope you enjoy the process that helps me to write.
Today it is all about the back story, the hidden history of a border town near El Paso, Texas. Years ago, for three days, my husband and I sat in the cab of a commercial truck over a three day weekend -- trapped in a dirty and somewhat dangerous truck stop waiting for his delivery destination to re-open for business. Desperate for some mind diversion, a flyer touting the historic allure of three nearby old Spanish missions seemed like our only chance for entertainment.
What happened that day inside the Presidio Chapel of San Elizariostill haunts us today. After meeting an elderly man in the parking lot who claimed to be the chapel caretaker, he gave us a tour of the chapel, using a key to open the door. We spent about an hour listening to his guided tour of that mission chapel and the surrounding area. Wanting to know more, we came back the next day to ask him some more questions, only to find out virtually no one there knew of the old man or had ever seen him. There were no guided tours, official or otherwise according to several locals that we stopped.
Once home again, with my curiosity getting the best of me, I began a journey looking into the history of that town. The results were shocking. Even greater than that back story, is what is happening in that and other border towns today. Is this same turf battle happening all across America today with most of us looking the other way?
