In 1680 the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico successfully rebelled against Spanish occupation and control of their lands. In 1681, Governor Otermín, with his Spanish colonists and troops, fled southward to El Paso del Norte. During the evacuation, his forces attacked Isleta Pueblo (14 miles south of Albuquerque) where they captured 385 residents, who were forced to join the retreat. During the assault some of the pueblo’s residents escaped. The captives were relocated to the El Paso area, where they created a temporary pueblo, known as Corpus Christi de Ysleta. The new village was founded by Francisco Tilagua, Tribal Governor, and Bartolo Pique, Tribal War Captain. Later, it was re-named San Antonio de Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo. Fray Alonso Zavaleta, their faithful priest, was in charge of the new mission, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which later received its present-day name, San Antonio Mission. The Spanish authorities considered the Tigua captives as temporary residents. In 1692, when Spanish forces reconquered New Mexico, the governor’s plan was to return the Tigua Indians to New Mexico. However, his successor, Diego de Vargas, ordered all the Spanish refugees to return to New Mexico, but that the Tiguas had to remain in the El Paso del Norte to bolster the area’s defense and develop a self-sustaining local economy. Ysleta Pueblo and Mission deserve a monument that celebrates the historic and living legacy of the founders of the pueblo and mission. The Twelve Travelers board, with the support of the Ysleta Del Sur Tribal Council, wish to create this important monument.

The XII Travelers Board has agreed to create a monument to commemorate Henry Ossian Flipper, who was a very ethical and intelligent individual. He was a Buffalo Soldier, civil mining engineer, surveyor, English, Spanish and French translator, historian, and newspaper editor. For a decade, he lived in El Paso in several historic houses that exist today. He was born on March 21, 1856 in Thomasville, Georgia. He and his family endured slavery. He died at the age of 84, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the first Black graduate of West Point Military Academy in 1877. After four years of outstanding military service, he was illegally discharged as a victim of oppressive racism. In 1976, the Department of the Army granted him an honorable discharge. On February 19, 1999, President Clinton gave him an unconditional pardon, which was supported by many members of the Congress. Flipper held several important U.S. Government positions. He worked Washington D.C., in the American Southwest, Northern Mexico, Venezuela, and Spain. In the United States, there are historic sites which honor his contributions with bronze plaques and museum exhibits. The Cadet Library at West Point has a bronze bust of Flipper which was unveiled in December 1976. However, there is no full-scale monument of Henry Ossian Flipper. Therefore, the Twelve Travelers Board wish to create a monument to honor his impressive legacy.