The Texas Historical Commission with support from Humanities Texas will host a free, day-long Cultural Resources Symposium featuring presentations on the laws, sites, and stewardship that shape preservation in the El Paso region Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026.
Spend the afternoon with archeologists, historians, and historical preservationists in celebrating this rich heritage through presentations on past and present archeological projects and their resonance in the lives of today’s people.

The morning session will focus on state and federal cultural resource compliance, including an overview of the Antiquities Code of Texas and Chapter 711 of the Health and Safety Code. The afternoon session will be tailored to the public and will highlight local archaeology and heritage, with presentations on the Old Socorro Mission State Historic Site, the Butterfield Overland Mail Route, and ongoing excavations at Pueblo and pithouse settlements in northeast El Paso, and a presentation by Ysleta del Sur Pueblo. Additional presentations will explore heritage tourism in El Paso County and collaborative strategies for protecting significant archaeological resources.