Remembering La Plaza de los Lagartos, the El Paso Alligators
May 29, 2019 4:00 PM Subscribe
San Jacinto Plaza (Wikipedia) was home to live alligators, from the day that three live alligators arrived in 1883 (KVIA), to 1965 after they were attacked (El Paso Times article morgue, with semi-graphic recounting of violence to animals). I couldn't find any video of live alligators in the plaza, but they were featured in a number (PicClick) of old (eBay) postcards (HipPostcards), many linen (Collectors Weekly) and some newer-ish (Flickr). Gators were brought back in 1972 (Texas Tribune) and kept under a protective plastic shell for a few years, but they were then returned to a local zoo. A commemorative statue, Pile o' Gators (Roadside America), was dedicated in June 1993.
El Paso is like Mos Eisley, reliably weird.
posted by Bee'sWing at 4:55 PM on May 29, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by Bee'sWing at 4:55 PM on May 29, 2019 [4 favorites]
I lived there and never heard of the alligators! Weird!
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 4:47 AM on May 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 4:47 AM on May 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
Yes, I was born in El Paso and lived there for about 15 years before I left for good and I have only dim memories of them. We lived on base in Fort Bliss which is its own little world though, and my mom didn't drive. They brought them back when I was in high school and I remember going to the plaza with my aunt for the xmas tree lighting ceremony and checking them out and thinking that they looked miserable.
posted by Bee'sWing at 6:27 AM on May 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Bee'sWing at 6:27 AM on May 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
"Over the years, Long said, more alligators were donated, including Jack and Jill, a pair who arrived in a cigar box from Louisiana"
El Paso isn't weird, that's Austin. Get y'alls heads straight.
El Paso is gorgeously and dangerously strange.
posted by blessedlyndie at 3:44 AM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
El Paso isn't weird, that's Austin. Get y'alls heads straight.
El Paso is gorgeously and dangerously strange.
posted by blessedlyndie at 3:44 AM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
El Paso isn't weird, that's Austin. Get y'alls heads straight.
Portland, Oregon pinched the "Keep such-and-such Weird" slogan from Austin some years ago (and rightly so). Sadly, both cities have grown out of their days as quirky, fun places.
posted by Bee'sWing at 4:30 PM on June 9, 2019
Portland, Oregon pinched the "Keep such-and-such Weird" slogan from Austin some years ago (and rightly so). Sadly, both cities have grown out of their days as quirky, fun places.
posted by Bee'sWing at 4:30 PM on June 9, 2019
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The Roadside America article notes that the sculptor of the Lurid Lagartos (Living Rootless blog), Luis A. Jimenez Jr. (Wikipedia), was a southwestern sculptor who is better known for Denver Airport's demonic horse (Out There Colorado).
posted by filthy light thief at 4:10 PM on May 29, 2019 [1 favorite]