The El Paso Museum of History offers visitors a bilingual, multi-cultural experience through exhibitions that focus on the history of El Paso del Norte (The Pass of the North). The permanent and rotating exhibitions in the museum’s six galleries feature history beginning from pre-Spanish contact to present.
Neighborhoods & Shared Memories: Rio Grande to Franklin Heights
Jun 20, 2024 - May 20, 2025
2nd Floor, Neighborhoods Gallery
"Neighborhoods & Shared Memories: Rio Grande to Franklin Heights" will showcase the extensive history of the Rio Grande district leading to its neighboring area, Franklin Heights.This new exhibition will highlight the development of the neighborhoods in Central El Paso from the 1910s through the 1930s and will examine topics such as architecture, places of worship, education, working class histories, and waves of gentrification. It will also feature historical figures such as Maestro Abraham Chavez Jr., Judge Burges, Judge Howe, the Lea Family and the Turney Family.
This exhibit is part of an ongoing series that features historic neighborhoods throughout El Paso focusing on race, class, and gender. Previously exhibited neighborhoods include Chihuahuita, Segundo Barrio, Sunset Heights, Manhattan Heights and South Central. “Rio Grande to Franklin Heights” will be on display through May 2025.
El Baile de los 41 Pride Pop-Up Exhibition
Jun 1, 2024 - Jun 30, 2024
1st Floor, Juan & Linda Uribe Community Gallery
To inaugurate this year’s Pride Month celebrations, The El Paso Museum of History is opening 2024 Pride Pop-Up, El Baile de los 41, or the Dance of the 41 which delves into Profirian era Mexico and the society scandal that prominent 20th century cultural critic Carlos Monsivais sardonically penned as “the invention of homosexuality in Mexico.” The scandal involved a police raid carried out on November 17, 1901, where a clandestine ball with only men in attendance took place in a rented home at the limits of Mexico City. On Sunday night, at a house on the fourth block of Calle la Paz, the police burst into a dance attended by 41 unaccompanied men wearing women's clothes. Among those individuals were some dandies and sex workers from Calle Plateros. Among the attendees and lead organizers, the son-in-law of then-President Porfirio Díaz, Ignacio de la Torre y Mier, married to his daughter Amada Díaz, and Antonio Adalid, nicknamed "Toña la Mamonera", godson of Maximilian I of Mexico and Carlota of Mexico and many other men of Mexico’s high society as well as several working poor trans individuals.
This exhibit will explore the nuanced and disparate meting of justice, Mexico’s views then and now on LGBTQ+ issues through the lens of race, class and gender at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries.
“El Baile De Los 41” will be on display starting Saturday, June 1 through Sunday, July 28 in our Juan & Linda Uribe Community Gallery.
Musica Sin Fronteras: Twentieth Century To Now
Apr 27, 2024 -
1st Floor, Gallery B
Musica Sin Fronteras: Twentieth Century to Now invites audiences to explore the vibrant and diverse musical landscape that has thrived along the frontera throughout the greater part of the 20th century to the present. From dynamic musicians to iconic bands, from eclectic genres to renowned studios and venues, this exhibition celebrates the rich tapestry of musical heritage that calls the borderlands home. Musica Sin Fronteras delves into the evolution of diverse musical communities, venues, and cultures that emerged during the economic boom at the turn of the century, shaping the unique identity of the frontera music scene. This immersive experience not only recognizes but also revels in the profound contributions upon national and international music landscapes, offering visitors an unforgettable sonic experience.
This exhibition will be on display through April 2025.
Dualidad: Indigenous Gender Identity in the American Southwest and Mexico
Mar 28, 2024 -
2nd Floor, Gallery D
“Dualidad” is a look into the Southwestern United States and Mexican Indigenous tribes, and their connection to community members who identified as gender-nonconforming including the concepts of individuals possessing both male and female identities. Throughout the process of colonization and its devastating effects to regional cultural identities, the respect and recognition of Two Spirit people has been lost, diminishing their roles in society. However, many Two Spirit and gender-nonconforming individuals have worked to regain their power and place in the community and culture through education, healing, and art practices.
This exhibition will highlight the Zuni, Diné, Apache, Laguna/Acoma/Pueblo, Mexica, Rarámuri and Zapoteca tribes who have honored gender-nonconforming individuals as foundational members of their culture as well as artists, medicine people, and visionaries within their given community.
“Dualidad: Indigenous Gender Identity in the American Southwest and Mexico” is on display through March 2025.
