Fray Garcia Statue
125 Pioneer Plaza
El Paso, TX 79901
For his accomplishments in the El Paso-Juárez area, Fray Garcia has come to be known as the founder of El Paso and was honored as the first of the Twelve Travelers, a project intended to portray the history of the Southwest. On September 26, 1996, over 3,500 people attended the unveiling of a bronze statue of Garcia in Pioneer Plaza. The one and a half ton statue is 14 feet high, the tallest historic monument in Texas. The imposing bronze sculpture is the work of John Houser, prominent El Paso artist, and son of Ivan Houser, who assisted with the carving of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. The statue portrays Garcia wearing his Franciscan habit and sandals. A Guadalupe medallion hangs around his neck, with a crucifix and rosary located at his waist. There is a Manso Indian basket near his feet filled with mission grapes, representing the introduction of agriculture to the natives. The beam Fray Garcia holds is carved with flowers like the vigas of his mission.
