A Trip Down Memory Lane and Mexico Boulevard

By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon

Brownsville has always, and will always be connected to Mexico and its sister city, Matamoros.

Brownsville's downtown area and its succes has always been connected to the traffic coming from across the Rio Grande River. As Brownsville grew beyond downtown, eventually a new strip of commercial property and retail stores would pop up along the boulevard the B&M International Bridge, colloquially known as El Puente Viejo. The boulevard connecting the bridge with Palm Boulevard would be named Mexico Boulevard.

Perhaps Mexico Boulevard's most famous resident is the Amigoland Mall. Don't worry, I'm not going to detail everything that is in the mall — I've already done that before. But the mall occupies a large chunk of Mexico Boulevard on the thoroughfare's west side. At it's height, it was Brownsville's premier shopping mall. At one point in its early days, it even had a grocery store. It was opened in 1972. It really was the fancier of the two malls in town. Eventually, the expansion and multi-million dollar renovation at the Sunrise Mall at the turn of the millennium would begin an exodus of retail establishment that would shift to North Brownsville. Today the exterior she'll of the mall remains relatively unchanged, but the building has been repurposed as a satellite campus for Texas Southmost College. The old Montgomery Wards and JC Penneys auto centers still stand, as well as the building that used to be a Payless Shoe Source.

The Amigoland Mall was called the Amigoland Mall because it was slated to be a part of an entertainment complex that was supposed to run the entire length of Mexico Boulevard. The centerpiece of that complex was to be our very own Astroworld-esque theme park named, you guessed it, Amigoland. The theme park was supposed to have several different "lands" with their own themes. There was a space/future/Tomorrowland, an Aztec land complete with pyramid shaped temple, a cowboyland, and a few others. It was supposed to be built close to the river across the street from the mall. Hotels, restaurants, condominiums, retail space, and an RV park were supposed to dot the landscape. Unfortunately, the oil crisis of the 70's severely crippled the plans for Amigoland, and the only building that was built for the park was the sombrero-shaped administration building. 

About the closest thing to a theme park would be the annual Charro Days carnival that would set up at the end of Palm Boulevard. Today there's a road leading you to a subdivision currently being built and an Idea Academy.

Eventually the sombrero-shaped administration building would be several different things. It was most common known as the discotheque Studio V. It would later be a short-lived bar and grill and most recently it was a law firm/mediation firm. I'm not sure if it still is today.

Driving further along, you'd run into a Kmart complete with a detached automotive center and a Walmart across the street next to the Mall. I clearly remember shopping for back-to-school clothes (and G.I. Joes) at the Kmart with my mom. Today the KMart is some sort of commercial business. Truth be told, I'm not sure what they do there. It is fenced in and always looked super secretive to me. The Walmart would become an indoor flea market a couple of different times. It is still an indoor flea market and a U-Haul rental location/storage unit business today.

There was an Auto Zone in the parking lot of the Walmart. It would close and be replaced by a pawn shop before closing down.

In the 90's, new businesses like Toys R Us and Circuit City would set up shop next to KMart. When the Sunrise Mall expanded, both retail stores moved to Sunrise Commons off the expressway behind the Sunrise Mall. Eventually both of those retail chains would close nationwide. The two spaces would become event halls that would host wedding receptions and quinceañeras.

There was a McCoy's Lumber next to the Circuit City building. Before there was a Lowe's or a Home Depot in town, there was Handy Dan, Brownsville Hardware, Zepeda's Hardware, Gloor's Lumber and McCoys Lumber. The hardware and lumber store would eventually close it's doors and a warehouse selling pallet and store returned merchandise would occupy the building.

Across the street was Brownsville's second McDonald's. It didn't have a play area like the McDonald's off the Expressway had, but it was a McDonald's. Having a conversation with someone who lived on Avenue D by the railyard earlier in the week, I was told there was also an International House of Pancakes next to the McDonald's. I do not remember that, but he seemed absolutely sure there was an IHOP there. I told him I did remember the Denny's next to La Quinta Inn that later became Danny's. There was a woman's boutique where the McDonald's was, and today the local Spanish Christian radio station occupies the space.

I've heard there were several other businesses including a grocery store on Mexico Boulevard. Today, about the only thing moving there is a large wind turbine built near the old Montgomery Wards parking lot.

Mexico Boulevard is a relative ghost town, but its memories will live on forever in the residents who remember going there fondly.