Q: Nacogdoches claims to be the oldest town in Texas. But is it really?

William Broyles, Santa Fe

A: At first glance, this particular puzzler would seem to be a simple one. On its official website, Nacogdoches, the historic East Texas burg of some 32,000 souls, does, in fact, claim to be the “oldest town in Texas.” Yet there are at least three other towns to which the same label has been oft attached: Ysleta, a community that has been subsumed by El Paso; Presidio, on the Mexican border in far West Texas, where a plaque proclaims it the “oldest town in America”; and San Antonio, which requires no description.

The facts are thus: Ysleta was settled by Native Americans and Spaniards in 1682. Presidio claims a 1683 establishment. San Antonio celebrated its tricentennial in 2018.

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