Socorro Missión
Socorro Missión
The Socorro Mission is located southeast of a traditional ford on the Río Grande, on the branch of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (Royal Road to the Interior) that runs through westernmost Texas, from San Elizario to downtown El Paso. The mission arose in the aftermath of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, when the Indians drove the Spanish from the settlements, haciendas and missions in northern New Mexico. Built at the community founded by Spanish refugees and their Piro allies, the first permanent Socorro Mission church building was dedicated by 1692, at a location a mile south of the current building. Ravaging flood waters swept the first church away in 1740. Another flood destroyed its successor in 1829. Given the current control and containment that we are accustomed to today, it is difficult to comprehend what a raging river the Río Grande could be. Early accounts describe the historic flood waters cresting far upstream of Socorro, and scouring everything in its path as it surged southward. The Socorro Mission arose as a testament to the strength and resiliency of those who persevered despite hardships.
