Ojinaga

Ojinaga is a town of 28,000 people (2015) in Chihuahua. It is a rural bordertown on the U.S.-Mexico border, with the city of Presidio, Texas, directly opposite, on the U.S. side of the border.

Understand

A church in Ojinaga

Ojinaga sits where the Río Conchos drains into the Río Grande (known as the Rio Bravo in Mexico), an area called La Junta de los Rios.

Ojinaga still retains its rural culture and environment, with relatively little pollution and few urban problems. Some of the most famous norteño-sax artists are from Ojinaga, such as Polo Urías, Adolfo Urías, Los Diamantes de Ojinaga, Los Rieleros del Norte, Conjunto Primavera, Los Jilgueros del Arroyo, and Los Norteños de Ojinaga.

History

Town hall

Ojinaga was founded around the year 1200 by Pueblo Indians. In 1535 it was visited by Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca with a party of four, the survivors of the 1528 shipwreck of a failed mission to explore Florida. It was later the site of the Battle of Ojinaga, as Pancho Villa was being chased all over the region during the Mexican Revolution.

Get in

By car

• connects the city to Chihuahua, ends at the Presidio/Ojinaga International Bridge.
• The border crossing connects the town with Presidio, in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. Presidio and Ojinaga are connected by the Presidio-Ojinaga International Bridge and the Presidio–Ojinaga International Rail Bridge.

Get around

Most places of interest are located within a block or two of the central plaza.

See

• Manuel Ojinaga Museum. Hosts artifacts from the Mexican Revolution, Indian items, locally found fossils. (updated May 2015)
• Norteño bands - Many famous norteño musicians are from here, and Ojinaga has its own unique style, adding saxophones to the accordion-heavy mix.

Buy

• Fausto's Art Gallery, Calle Juarez, 626. 453 0505. Artwork by regional artists, southwest furniture, and local Indian handicrafts. 

Eat

• La Poblana, Calle Juarez, in front of Fausto's Gallery. Home-style Mexican cooking popular with the working class.
• Los Comales, Calle Zaragoza, a block off the main square. Surprisingly good seafood, given the city's location.
• Sanborn's, 453 1224. A favorite with locals of Ojinaga and Presidio. Try the chile verde con carne. No credit cards accepted.
• Tortas Raúl, 453 1544. Mexican sandwiches, burritos, and other light meals. Good for lunch.

Sleep

• Hotel Armendariz, ☏ +52 626 453 1198. (updated May 2015)
• 1 Hotel Cañon del Peguis, Blvd. Libre Comercio 1501, ☏ +52 626 453 2950. A more upscale hotel with doubles from 644 pesos. (updated May 2015)

Go next

• Peguis Canyon, 40 km (25 miles) down highway 16, is a 1200 m (4000-foot) canyon, one of the most impressive sights of the Big Bend Region.
• Chihuahua
• Creel

Routes through Ojinaga

Chihuahua ← Aldama ←

W  E

→ → becomes → Presidio