Chamizal National Memorial celebrates 50 years

Chamizal National Memorial is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The park will be hosting a public program to inform residents how they can get involved in some of the memorial’s projects.

The event is free and will be held at 7 p.m. in the Memorial’s Museum and Cultural Center on June 30. Birthday cake will be offered after the program.

To celebrate 50 years, a new installation in the Chamizal museum will honor the history of the memorial.

The project will feature oral stories of residents who were directly affected by the Chamizal dispute and settlement.

The Chamizal dispute was between Mexico and the United States over land bordering the two countries. Residents were displaced from their homes after a treaty settling the dispute was made. The museum is hoping to honor the stories of those residents.

Congress established the Chamizal National Memorial to commemorate the Chamizal Convention of 1963.

The convention was held after more than 100 years of dispute over territory between both countries.

After the Mexican-American War, the middle of the Rio Grande River was deemed the international border.

Conflict arose when a flood caused a shift in the river and the boundary was altered.

The Chamizal, along with Cordova Island, was the center of the conflict and both countries claimed the land.

Several attempts were made to solve the conflict but it was not until 1963 that a treaty was finally made.

However, it was not until a year later when the American-Mexican Chamizal Convention Act of 1964 was signed that the matter was finally settled.

In the same year, President Lyndon B. Johnson and President Adolfo Lpez Mateos met on the border to officially end the dispute.

In 1966, Congress officially established Chamizal National Memorial.

The memorial serves as a reminder of the diplomatic resolution of the Chamizal dispute between the U.S. And Mexico.

According to the Chamizal National Memorial website, “The memorial fosters the goodwill and understanding between the people of the United States and Mexico and provides a center to present activities that celebrate cultural exchange.”

The memorial will be remodeling its museum and adding more projects.

In addition to the 50th celebration of the memorial, the National Park Service is celebrating 100 years.

To find out more information about the Chamizal National Memorial, click here, or call 915-532-7273.