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As America celebrates its 250th, look at the US-Mexico border's history

Updated June 28, 2026, 8:10 a.m. ET
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary , the border's journey to its current resting place is the story of the birth of a nation that swallowed up Native American tribes, Spanish descendants and Mexican citizens. It's also the story of a people whose resilience kept their languages, ceremonies and traditions alive. See the rich traditions of the Southwest desert, beginning here with Tigua dancers of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo performing outside the historic mission in San Elizario, Texas, during a cultural reenactment of borderlands history. The event reflects generations of Indigenous, Mexican and American influences that have shaped identity in the region.
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, the border's journey to its current resting place is the story of the birth of a nation that swallowed up Native American tribes, Spanish descendants and Mexican citizens. It's also the story of a people whose resilience kept their languages, ceremonies and traditions alive.

See the rich traditions of the Southwest desert, beginning here with Tigua dancers of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo performing outside the historic mission in San Elizario, Texas, during a cultural reenactment of borderlands history. The event reflects generations of Indigenous, Mexican and American influences that have shaped identity in the region.
Omar Ornelas/USA TODAY
Nicholas Natividad looks across the U.S.-Mexico border between Ciudad Juárez and Sunland Park, N.M., in the Paso del Norte region. A descendant of families who lived through multiple shifts of the border, Natividad studies how generations of Mexican Americans and Indigenous communities have preserved their culture and identity amid changing national lines. Natividad's great-great-great grandfather Juan Velarde was born in a land that, in his lifetime, would be claimed by four different nations.
Nicholas Natividad looks across the U.S.-Mexico border between Ciudad Juárez and Sunland Park, N.M., in the Paso del Norte region. A descendant of families who lived through multiple shifts of the border, Natividad studies how generations of Mexican Americans and Indigenous communities have preserved their culture and identity amid changing national lines. Natividad's great-great-great grandfather Juan Velarde was born in a land that, in his lifetime, would be claimed by four different nations.
Omar Ornelas/USA TODAY Network
Tigua dancers of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo perform outside the historic mission in San Elizario, Texas. Today, the Tigua are a sovereign nation in Socorro, a rural hamlet between El Paso and San Elizario.
Tigua dancers of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo perform outside the historic mission in San Elizario, Texas. Today, the Tigua are a sovereign nation in Socorro, a rural hamlet between El Paso and San Elizario.
Omar Ornelas/USA TODAY
Dancers in Spanish colonia attire perform outside the historic mission in San Elizario, Texas, during a cultural reenactment.
Dancers in Spanish colonia attire perform outside the historic mission in San Elizario, Texas, during a cultural reenactment.
Omar Ornelas/USA TODAY
Dennis Daily, an archivist at New Mexico State University, examines historical maps of the U.S.-Mexico border region in the university’s archives. The collection traces shifting national boundaries that reshaped communities in the Paso del Norte area over generations.
Dennis Daily, an archivist at New Mexico State University, examines historical maps of the U.S.-Mexico border region in the university’s archives. The collection traces shifting national boundaries that reshaped communities in the Paso del Norte area over generations.
Omar Ornelas/USA TODAY
Nicholas Natividad looks across the U.S.-Mexico border between Ciudad Juárez and Sunland Park, N.M., in the Paso del Norte region. A descendant of families who lived through multiple shifts of the border, Natividad studies how generations of Mexican Americans and Indigenous communities have preserved their culture and identity amid changing national lines.
Nicholas Natividad looks across the U.S.-Mexico border between Ciudad Juárez and Sunland Park, N.M., in the Paso del Norte region. A descendant of families who lived through multiple shifts of the border, Natividad studies how generations of Mexican Americans and Indigenous communities have preserved their culture and identity amid changing national lines.
Christian Chavez/ Special To USA TODAY Network
Tigua dancers of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo perform outside the historic mission in San Elizario, Texas, during a cultural reenactment.
Tigua dancers of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo perform outside the historic mission in San Elizario, Texas, during a cultural reenactment.
Omar Ornelas/USA TODAY
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