Question: What is the name of the tract of land in El Paso whose ownership was disputed for nearly a hundred years?
Answer: El Chamizal. According to the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the Rio Grande was established as the boundary between Texas and Mexico. However, an 1864 flood drastically changed the course of the river, transferring at least 600 acres to the United States side.
For nearly a hundred years, Texas and the United States exercised de facto jurisdiction over the disputed territory despite efforts to resolve the question of ownership. Finally, the two countries signed a treaty in 1963 that essentially divided the tract of land in half. A canal was constructed along the new boundary, and more than 5,600 residents were forced out of their homes.
