Ciudad Juarez

Walk seven blocks south from the heart of downtown El Paso and you're on the bridge that empties into Avenida Juárez, the tourism center of Juárez, and only a few blocks from the city’s cathedral and main plaza. Nowhere else in the world are two major cities of two different countries so closely connected — or so easy to visit from either side.

Many people think they've seen Juárez when all they’ve really seen is Avenida Juárez. The "real" Juárez doesn’t begin until you hit Avenida 16 de Septiembre. At the intersection is the Old Customs House, a striking Victorian building that houses the city’s historical museum. Just two blocks west is the city's main square. The restored 17th-century adobe Mission de Guadalupe testifies to Indian and Spanish heritage and craftsmanship. Next door is the cathedral, with its distinctive, 100-foot twin bell towers. Behind the cathedral is the old City Hall, now converted into a cultural center.

On Avenida 16 de Septiembre is the city market — perhaps the most popular stop for tourists who don't mind haggling over souvenirs, leather goods, folk art and other wares hawked aggressively by the vendors.

A short side trip from the city market is the Benito Juárez Monument, off Calle Madero a few blocks south of Avenida 16 de Septiembre. Designed by Italian architects and built in 1909-10, the marble monument rises above a plaza in the heart of one of the city’s older areas.

Avenida 16 de Septiembre connects the old and new tourist areas. Visitors will find many of the city's top restaurants, mansions (including the home of famed Mexican vocalist and six-time Grammy nominee Juan Gabriel) as well as shopping of all kinds. Avenida 16 de Septiembre leads east to Avenida Lincoln and Avenida de las Americas, both ending at the Bridge of the Americas that spans the Chamizál parks on both sides of the Rio Grande. The area was locked up in a boundary dispute for more than a century, and as a result of a 1963 treaty, the land was set aside for recreational and cultural uses.

Juárez' Chamizal Park lies directly across from the Chamizal National Memorial on the U.S. side. A new tourist information center at the park entrance offers maps, pamphlets and other literature. The park also is home of the Museum of Archaeology, where exhibits include replicas of famous Mexican antiquities. Chamizal is also the venue for the monthly Art in the Park on the last Saturday of the month, April through October, featuring arts and crafts, children's activities and evening concerts. The nearby fairgrounds are home to the Juárez Fair each June.

Avenida Lincoln with its fine shops provides a much more sophisticated first impression of the city than Avenida Juárez. This is where you’ll find the famous statue of Abraham Lincoln, a contemporary of Benito Juárez. The monument of the American president is the only one of its kind outside of the United States. The avenue leads to the Zona ProNaf, home of the city's Museum of Fine Arts (Museo de Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes) and the Plaza de las Americas mall. Many of the city’s top nightclubs are in this area, while some of the most popular shops and restaurants are in the ProNaf area or nearby on Paseo Triunfo de la Republica. Also on Republica between avenidas Plutarco Elias Calles and Lopez Mateos is Plaza de Toros Monumental, one of the largest bullfighting arenas in North America.

Walking is still the easiest and cheapest way to see many of the main tourist attractions in Juárez — it costs just 35 cents to cross the bridge. Once across, taxis are cheap and plentiful — feel free to bargain for the best rate. A private trolley service also is available from the El Paso Convention Center and from many hotels to take visitors to various shopping and tourist attractions in Juárez. It’s also relatively inexpensive to hire a tour guide for a day.