A Spanish colonial military chapel rebuilt in 1877 on Texas's El Camino Real — its adjacent open field holds over 200 unmarked burials, and the convent attached to the building was found to contain infants buried inside its adobe walls.
1556 San Elizario Rd, San Elizario, TX 79849
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Chapel and grounds free to visit during daylight hours. Ghost tour tickets approximately $25 per person through Ghost915 / Paso del Norte Paranormal Society.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Flat mission plaza on paved ground; chapel interior accessible; adjacent cemetery field is unpaved
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1877 · National Register of Historic Places (1972) · Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (1962) · Spanish colonial presidio established 1788 · Site of 1877 Salt War violence · Infants found buried in convent adobe walls · 200+ burials in adjacent cemetery field
The site at San Elizario has been a military and religious center since Spain established the Presidio San Elizario in 1788 to guard travelers on the Camino Real connecting Mexico City to Santa Fe. The original chapel was built inside the presidio walls in 1788 and dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Pilar y de Gloriosa San José. The Rio Grande flooded catastrophically in 1829, destroying the chapel; a replacement was built but proved inadequate by the 1870s.
Construction of the current structure began in 1877 and was completed in 1882. The thick-walled adobe chapel with plastered white exterior is one of the last surviving examples of late Spanish colonial military chapel architecture in West Texas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 14, 1972, and designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1962. A severe electrical fire gutted the interior in 1935; the pressed-tin ceiling, ornate posts, and stained glass windows date from the subsequent reconstruction.
The 1877 Salt War — a violent conflict over access to salt deposits near the Guadalupe Mountains — produced some of San Elizario's most documented bloodshed. Several men died in the fighting, with accounts including victims being thrown into a well. A hanging tree historically associated with the violence stood near the plaza.
The convent building attached to the chapel served the local Catholic community for decades before closing. When the structure was later converted to a private residence, workers found the remains of infants and stillborns buried inside the adobe walls — a practice that historical research has associated with unofficial infant burials in colonial-era mission properties throughout the Southwest. An adjacent open field, used as the chapel's primary burial ground in the late 1890s, holds more than 200 interments.
Sources
The cemetery field adjacent to the San Elizario chapel is the most consistently cited location for paranormal reports. More than 200 people are buried there with few or no markers, and local residents describe seeing shadowy figures and ghostly images moving through the field, particularly at dusk. The lack of formal burials for many of those interred — including individuals who died during the Salt War violence of 1877 — contributes to the lore around the site.
The convent discovery adds a specific and disturbing element to the chapel's history: the remains of infants and stillborns were found sealed within the adobe walls when the attached building was converted to residential use after the convent closed. Historical context suggests this reflects a documented practice in some colonial Catholic settings, where unbaptized infants were buried within sacred walls rather than in unconsecrated ground. The finding circulates prominently in San Elizario's haunted lore.
Ghost915 and the Paso del Norte Paranormal Society incorporate multiple stops in San Elizario into their walking tours, including the chapel plaza, the cemetery field, and the site of the former hanging tree used during the Salt War era. The organization documents reported encounters with shadow figures and unexplained sounds during evening tours of the area.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
The 1877 chapel is open for self-guided visits on the El Camino Real Mission Trail. The adjacent open field — the original cemetery dating to the 1890s — holds more than 200 undisturbed burials. The convent building attached to the chapel is now a private residence; its exterior is visible from the plaza.
Evening walking tour departing from the Golden Eagle Gallery (1501 Main St) and visiting five historic sites including the Presidio Chapel, the cemetery field, and the Hanging Tree area. The tour covers the 1877 Salt War, the convent discovery, and reported apparitions in the cemetery.
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