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Early Crossings and Indigenous Pathways

Long before modern bridges spanned the Río Bravo, indigenous groups such as the Piro, Suma, and Mescalero Apache navigated this region via natural fords and seasonal shallow channels. When river levels receded in late spring, small groups would herd bighorn sheep and pack dogs across the gravel bars that emerged along the borderlands. These informal crossings connected hunting camps on both sides of what is now Ciudad Juárez and El Paso. Early Spanish missionaries recognized these routes—later formalized as the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro—as critical arteries linking the mining settlements to the south with frontier outposts to the north. By the late 18th century, mule trains loaded with silver ingots from the Guanaceví mines used these paths, fording the river at discreet locations downstream from modern bridge sites.