Presidio, Texas

Presidio, Texas
City
Signpost outside the city of Presidio, Texas
Location of Presidio, Texas
Coordinates: 29°33′41″N 104°21′59″W / 29.56139°N 104.36639°W / 29.56139; -104.36639Coordinates: 29°33′41″N 104°21′59″W / 29.56139°N 104.36639°W / 29.56139; -104.36639
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Presidio
Area
• Total	2.6 sq mi (6.7 km2)
• Land	2.6 sq mi (6.7 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	2,582 ft (787 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	4,426
• Density	1,700/sq mi (660/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	79845-79846
Area code	432
FIPS code	48-59396
GNIS feature ID	1344545
Website	City of Presidio

Presidio is a city in Presidio County, Texas, United States. It stands on the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte), on the opposite side of the U.S.–Mexico border from Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The population was 4,167 at the 2000 census, and had increased to 4,426 as of the 2010 US census.

Presidio is on the Farm to Market Road 170, and U.S. Route 67, 18 miles (29 km) south of Shafter in Presidio County. Presidio is about 250 miles southeast of El Paso, 240 miles southwest of Odessa, and 145 miles northeast of Chihuahua, Mexico.

The junction of the Rio Conchos and Rio Grande at Presidio was settled thousands of years ago by hunting and gathering peoples. By 1200 AD, the local Native Americans had adopted agriculture and lived in small, closely knit settlements, which the Spaniards later called pueblos. (See La Junta Indians)

The first Spaniards came to Presidio in 1535, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his three companions stopped at the Native American pueblo, placed a cross on the mountainside, and called the village La Junta de las Cruces. On December 10, 1582, Antonio de Espejo and his company arrived at the site and called the pueblo San Juan Evangelista. By 1681, the area of Presidio was known as La Junta de los Ríos, or the Junction of the Rivers. Five Jumano towns were along the Rio Grande to the north of the junction, consisting largely of permanent houses. In 1683, Juan Sabeata, the chief of the Jumano nation, reported having seen a fiery cross on the mountain at Presidio and requested that a mission be established at La Junta. The settlement in 1684 became known as La Navidad en Las Cruces. The missions La Navidad en las Cruces, San Francisco de los Julimes, San Antonio de los Puliques, Apostol Santiago, and Santa María de la Redonda may have been established on the Texas side of the Rio Grande at La Junta.