The Tiguas of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo officially joined the All Indian Pueblo Council in a traditional ceremony held Monday on Tigua land in El Paso.
With 40 seats up for election, the 2010 election season in El Paso is shaping up as one of the most competitive and interesting in years, experts said.
Business and employment at the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo reservation for almost a decade hinged on gaming at Speaking Rock Casino that brought in about $60 million in its last year of operation.
Robert Talamantes, with his wife, Grace by his side, spoke of their daughter, Valerie Talamantes, who was killed by a drunk driver on December 29, 2007 during the 4th Annual Crime Victims Walk Across El Paso Sunday at Yucca Park.
Tom Diamond wasn't born a Tigua, but his fascination with Native American culture has led him to a bountiful, decades-long friendship with the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo that leaves him firmly enmeshed in modern pueblo history.
The future of gambling at Speaking Rock has failed to beat the odds. After casino style gambling was ruled unconstitutional in 2001, business owners and Tigua tribe members had hoped things would change.