CHAMIZAL NATIONAL MEMORIAL. The Chamizal National Memorial is near the Cordova Bridge in south central El Paso, El Paso County. The 54.9-acre park, which commemorates the peaceful settlement of a ninety-nine-year-old boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico (see CHAMIZAL DISPUTE), is on part of the 193-acre site acquired from Mexico in the Chamizal settlement in 1963. Congress set aside the park site the same year, and it was opened to the public in 1973. The memorial hosts a variety of programs throughout the year, including the Border Folk Festival in October, the Siglo de Oro (Spanish Golden Age) Festival in February and March, the Border Jazz Festival in May, the Zarzuela Festival in July and August, and the Sixteenth of September "Grito" celebration. A state historical marker was placed at the site in 1968. In 1990 the park logged 205,073 visits.
