Are There Really Tunnels Under Sunset Heights Homes? [VIDEO]

I love El Paso history and El Paso architecture, and this weekend, I had the chance to take the annual tour of Sunset Heights homes and got to see both. The Sunset Heights neighborhood is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, one of the prettiest, and most historic in our city. Not only is Sunset Heights home to some of the most beautiful homes in our city, it is also home to a very old urban legend. People say there are tunnels under the homes of Sunset Heights.

The legend of the tunnels involves illegal Chinese immigrants, Pancho Villa, and the tunnels being sealed for no known reason. It is well-known that El Paso had a large community of Chinese immigrants who came to town when the railroad was being built, but after a time, the US government wouldn't allow them into the country. Some people speculate that they were smuggled into the country from Juarez through the tunnels. Others say that Pancho Villa used the tunnels to move back and forth between Juarez and El Paso.

No matter what the stories are, the truth might not ever be known, but getting a history lesson from the video above helps keep the story of the Sunset Heights tunnels alive, and that's always a good thing.