Kicking an opiate habit is a bitch. Before the advent of modern medical and pharmaceutical interventions, counseling, and peer support
Category: History
MEXICO’S FORCED LAND CESSIONS TO THE UNITED STATES
by Oscar J. Martínez The year 2026 (on February 2) marks the 178th anniversary of the signing of one of
“EL PASO, WHERE SUNSHINE SPENDS THE WINTER”
by Bob Chessey One hundred years ago, before El Paso simply advertised and referred to itself as the “Sun City,”
The History and Geography of Cartels in Juarez
Here’s an insightful portrait of the criminal organizations in Ciudad Juarez, their histories, and their geographic domains, from InsightCrime.org1: If
The “Notorious NARCOTIC Smuggler” La Nacha: The El Paso Years
So, “Who was ‘La Nacha’?” For 50 years “La Nacha” remained a name synonymous with Juarez and opiate trafficking, a
Dr. M. C. Melanson’s One-Track Mind
by Bob Chessey Narcotic traffickers aim to profit by delivering contraband across geopolitical lines; however, there are physicians who trespass
“Prohibition Era Bars in Juarez”
Local historian and frequent contributor to El Chuqueño Bob Chessey gives a talk about the proliferation of bars and bar
Harry Mitchell, the Mint Café, and The Narcotic Trafficking Question, Part 3
By Bob Chessey This is Part 3 of a three part series. You can read Part 1 here, and Part
Harry Mitchell, the Mint Café, and The Narcotic Trafficking Question, Part 2
By Bob Chessey This is Part 2 of a three part series. You can read Part 1 here. The Valera
Harry Mitchell, the Mint Café, and The Narcotic Trafficking Question, Part 1
This is Part 1 of a three part series. “Harry Mitchell, owner of the Mint café, Juarez, and Rogelio Sanchez,
The Last Corrida
By James Sawtelle That Sunday afternoon I had time to cut loose and go with Richard Grenier (my high school
The Storms and Spirits of Mexican September
By Kent Paterson In Mexico, September boasts many historic dates with reverberations that continue shaping the nation today. Besides the
PART 3 BIG KID’S PALACE- “The Joy Spot of C. Juarez, Mexico.”
In early March 1924 an announcement by the US government rattled and jarred the profit margins of the tourist centered
“El Querreque”
Here’s a link to a audio interview that frequent El Chuqueño contributor Kent Paterson recorded for KUNM. Vicente Bautista is
The Big Kid in Juarez, Part 2
You can read Part 1 here. by Bob Chessey Part Two: DODGING PROHIBITION In mid-January of 1900 23-year-old Harry Shipley
Honoring the Mexican Workers Who Saved the United States
By Kent Paterson For the first time in 60 years, Sebastián Corral touched the earth of Rio Vista Farm in
HARRY NELSON SHIPLEY: THE “BIG KID” OF THE JUAREZ PLAYGROUND, Part 1
by Bob Chessey During the 1920’s Juarez was a bustling adult recreational destination flaunting legal alcohol, saloons, cabarets, legal prostitution,
Debbie Nathan on the PDNG and Plan El Paso
Lest We Forget Here’s a piece local hero Debbie Nathan wrote for Texas Monthly back in 2013. These days El
“SALTY” NELL
by Bob Chessey El Paso’s First Career Customs Inspectress When crossing an international bridge from Juarez to enter El Paso,