Feliz 'El Paso Navidad': Iconic painting captures Downtown at Christmastime

Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times
·2 min read

Lifelong El Paso artist Hal Marcus has always found inspiration in his city. And more so during the holidays.

"I'm Jewish and Arabic but my family would go to the Plaza de los Lagartos and I remember seeing the lagartos, and the Christmas tree that was huge and everyone getting together there," he recalled.

Marcus has painted many scenes of El Paso, including some iconic pieces of the city during the holidays. The most iconic of which is an 11 feet by 14 feet painting, El Paso Navidad, centered around the placita, surrounded by well-known Downtown buildings like the Kress and The Popular.

The artist, who lives just a few blocks from Downtown El Paso, said he worked on that piece for about a year in the early 1990s. The painting still hangs at the Mimco offices, 6500 Montana Ave.

El Paso artist Hal Marcus painted this iconic scene of El Paso at Christmas time in 1993. Prints and posters of the original continue sell as the painting connects with many residents.
El Paso artist Hal Marcus painted this iconic scene of El Paso at Christmas time in 1993. Prints and posters of the original continue sell as the painting connects with many residents.

"I actually took an airplane ride before there were drones to get a perspective," Marcus said. "It's really more of a fantasy than a reality."

"It is the most sought after and it has a whole of detail. John Lennon and Paul McCartney are sitting by a tree with a will work for food sign. Pete Duarte ( the CEO of Thomason Hospital before it became University Medical Center of El Paso) is in there along with (late actor) Ricardo Montalban, me and my family and mariachis, and baby Jesus," he said.

Marcus captured a lot of El Paso references that should stand-out to native El Pasoans. The pink Cadillac is a nod to El Paso Saddleblanket. There are immigrants enjoying the peaceful spirit of the holiday. And there's even a McDonald's that no longer exists but used to have a basement filled with busy shoppers grabbing a quick bite to eat before continuing with their bargain haul.

"It's always going to be relevant I feel because it's the center of our city," he said.

Posters and greeting cards of the painting are sold at the Hal Marcus Gallery, 1308 N. Oregon. Open Wednesday Noon to 5 p.m. and by appointment.

More: Things to do in El Paso during winter break: Yes, ice skating, bowling and movies

María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com, @EPTMaria on Twitter; eptmariacg on TikTok. 

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Artist Hal Marcus' iconic painting captures El Paso at Christmastime