The Tigua Indians of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of El Paso are descendants of refugees from the lower Rio Grande pueblos. They came to El Paso on their retreat from New Mexico during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The settlement established for them was named Ysleta del Sur. The Ysleta mission is the oldest church in Texas and the oldest mission in Texas. In 1751 the king of Spain made a grant to the Indians of Ysleta pueblo, which was protected by the Spanish and Mexican governments and subsequently recognized by the state of Texas in the 1854 Ysleta Relief Act. The grant comprised thirtysix square miles and surrounded Corpus Christi de la Isleta Mission, which was constructed in 1682.

Today the Tiguas of Ysleta del Sur occupy about twenty-six acres of trust land and live in housing built by government loans on the reservation or in the El Paso community. In 1993 the Tiguas began the process of establishing high-stakes bingo on the trust land at Ysleta. They were denied permission by the state of Texas to also offer additional forms of gambling such as blackjack and slot machines. The tribe responded by filing a cause of action against the state. The resulting judgment was in favor of the tribe but was held pending results of an appeal by the state of Texas.

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