Builders of the Desert: Reimagining El Paso Through Its Own Story

El Paso has always been a city of builders.

Long before modern development, Indigenous communities engineered trade networks across the desert. Spanish settlers constructed missions and irrigation systems that still define the region. Mexican entrepreneurs, artisans, and families built economies across borders, languages, and generations. Every era of El Paso’s history reflects the same principle: resilience, creativity, and the ability to turn challenge into opportunity.

Today, a new organization is emerging with a mission rooted in that legacy.

Builders of the Desert (BuildersOfTheDesert.org) is a nonprofit initiative dedicated to transforming how El Paso understands, teaches, and uses its own history, not as something static, but as a living blueprint for the future.

A New Vision for a Historic City

At its core, Builders of the Desert is built on a clear and ambitious idea:

History is not just something to remember, it is something to apply.

The organization’s mission is to reimagine how history is taught and experienced by connecting El Paso’s cultural heritage to real-world learning, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Rather than treating history as a subject confined to textbooks, BOD positions El Paso itself as a living classroom, a place where culture, community, and environment become tools for education and innovation.

Its vision is equally bold: to create a future where heritage fuels creativity, education inspires enterprise, and every citizen becomes a builder of the Borderland’s evolving story.

Why El Paso Needs Builders of the Desert

El Paso is one of the most culturally rich regions in the United States, yet much of its historical and cultural capital remains underutilized as an engine for education and economic development.

The region faces persistent challenges:

Limited access to culturally relevant educational models

Economic barriers for aspiring entrepreneurs

Underdeveloped heritage-based industries

A disconnect between classroom learning and real-world application

Builders of the Desert addresses these issues by integrating education, culture, and economic opportunity into a single ecosystem one that transforms history into both a learning tool and a pathway forward.

The Three Pillars of Builders of the Desert

1. Educational Innovation

BOD’s first pillar focuses on transforming how history is taught in classrooms and communities.

Instead of relying solely on lectures and textbooks, the organization introduces:

Digital storytelling and filmmaking

Virtual museum platforms and augmented reality tools

Experiential field trips and place-based learning

Oral history projects with community members

Students are not passive learners, they become researchers, storytellers, and creators.

This model aligns with Texas education standards while expanding beyond them, emphasizing critical thinking, creativity, and civic engagement.

2. Entrepreneurial Empowerment

The second pillar connects history directly to economic opportunity.

Builders of the Desert teaches individuals how to:

Translate cultural knowledge into business ideas

Develop heritage-based products and services

Build sustainable, community-rooted enterprises

Through workshops, mentorship programs, and incubators, participants learn that heritage is not just identity; it is a competitive advantage.

This approach creates entrepreneurs whose businesses reflect the culture and history of the Borderland, strengthening both the economy and community identity.

3. Media & Cultural Preservation

The third pillar ensures that El Paso’s stories are preserved, documented, and shared.

BOD supports:

Documentary filmmaking

Oral history archives

Photography and digital storytelling

Public exhibitions and screenings

This work not only safeguards the past but makes it accessible and relevant for future generations.

Leadership: The Builders Behind the Mission

Builders of the Desert is guided by a leadership team that reflects the organization’s interdisciplinary approach—combining education, history, media, and entrepreneurship.

Executive Leadership:

H. Caleb Lara-Márquez – Founder & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) / Historian

James Avery Pleasant II – President & Treasurer

Machelle Wood – Vice President & Secretary

These executive leaders are entrusted with governance, financial oversight, and strategic direction, ensuring accountability and long-term sustainability of the organization.

Program and Creative Leadership:

Kevin Taggart – Heritage Archive, Museum & Arts Media, and Creative Expression Program Director

Saad “Shake” Sheikh – Entrepreneurial Empowerment & Education Program Director

Renoly Santiago – Film & Theatre Program Coordinator

Together, this team represents a fusion of disciplines—historical scholarship, business development, media production, and arts programming—mirroring the organization’s core philosophy of integration.

A Living Classroom: Education Beyond the Walls

One of the most innovative aspects of Builders of the Desert is its commitment to place-based learning.

El Paso itself becomes the classroom.

Students engage directly with:

Historic sites and missions

Local neighborhoods and cultural landmarks

Community elders and oral histories

Regional economic and environmental systems

This approach transforms education from passive consumption into active exploration—making history tangible, relevant, and deeply personal.

Bridging Past and Future

Builders of the Desert operates at the intersection of multiple fields:

By blending history with technology, storytelling, and business literacy, BOD creates a framework where learning directly informs real-world outcomes.

Community Impact and Long-Term Vision

Builders of the Desert is designed as a long-term investment in El Paso’s future.

Its vision includes:

A Museum & Innovation Hub combining history, education, and entrepreneurship

Cross-border collaborations with regional partners

Expanded educational programs across schools and communities

A network of creators, educators, and entrepreneurs shaping the region

The ultimate goal is to create a self-sustaining cycle:

Education inspires curiosity

Creativity produces ideas and stories

Entrepreneurship turns ideas into opportunity

Community impact reinforces cultural identity

A Call to El Paso

Builders of the Desert is more than an organization—it is a movement grounded in the belief that El Paso’s greatest resource is its own story.

It invites:

Educators to rethink how history is taught

Students to see themselves as innovators

Entrepreneurs to build from cultural roots

Community members to preserve and share their experiences

El Paso has always been shaped by those who built with vision and determination.

Builders of the Desert carries that legacy forward—equipping a new generation not just to remember history, but to use it.

Because in El Paso, the past is not behind us.

It is the foundation for everything still to be built