Mission Corpus Christi de la Ysleta: Texas's Third Oldest, 10+ Acres

Mission Corpus Christi de la Ysleta (Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, El Paso County) is the third oldest mission in Texas (after San Antonio de Valero / Alamo and San José y San Miguel de Aguayo).

Physical Scope

The complex occupies over 10 acres, encompassing:

• Church (active parish, Tigua Indian community)
• Priests' quarters (convento)
• Granary (food security)
• Workshops (carpentry, blacksmithing, weaving, pottery)
• Acequia system (irrigation ditches—some still functional)
• Cemetery (centuries of Tigua burials)

Historical Significance

Founded 1682 by Spanish and Tigua (Tiwa) refugees fleeing the Pueblo Revolt (1680) in New Mexico. Only Texas mission with continuous Native community since founding. Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (Tigua Tribe) is federally recognized (1968) and state-recognized. The mission remains their spiritual and cultural center.

Not a ruin—a living institution.