About Us:
The Museum and Gardens are part of the University of Texas at El Paso, and also serve the binational community of the Chihuahuan Desert region; the Museum was established in 1936, and the Gardens were dedicated in 1999. The Museum’s permanent exhibits focus on the natural and cultural history of the Chihuahuan Desert region. The extensive stored collections of the Centennial are available for scholarly research. In the temporary galleries the Museum presents a wide range of exhibits on themes related to border life and culture, the Americas, and UTEP activities.

Mission Statement:
The CentennialMuseum is an academic support and outreach unit of the University of Texas at El Paso focusing on the natural history and the indigenous, colonial, pre-urban, and folk cultures of the border regions of southwestern United States and Mexico. It promotes and shares knowledge and understanding of the natural and cultural diversity of the region and its peoples. The Museum meets its responsibilities through the presentation and curation of the permanent collections and by scholarly research. It also presents programs that promote the more general mission of the University of Texas at El Paso.