Rosa’s Cantina

Yes, Rosa’s Cantina is (and was) a real place, although it didn’t exist in the Old West sense described in the famous song.

When Robbins passed through in 1958 the (then-new) joint was closed for the day but the location inspired the song.  Here is the view out the front door of Rosa’s:

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Reminds one of the lines:

"And at last here Im on the hill overlooking El Paso; I can see Rosa's cantina below. My love is strong and it pushes me onward. Down off the hill to Feleena I go."

The cantina is a rock building with an adobe-like stucco outer layer, eroded in places.  There is an abundance of rock in the area so that is the most common building material in older structures.

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[side view;  front door is where the wrought iron gate is, partially obscured by the black signpost.   The aforementioned hills are to the right]

It’s basically a small honkey-tonk with a cafe area.  It’s quite loud:

Remember that hearing damage starts at 85dB, and Rosa’s hit 84.3dB in the screenshot below.

It’s not that I’m a “get off my lawn” old guy, it’s that I have always been sensitive to loud noises.  I carry earplugs everywhere.

As I paid my waitress, I asked if I could leave the establishment by running out the back door (a dark, heavy wooden item), _a la _

"Out through the back door of Rosa's I ran Out where the horses were tied I caught a good one, it looked like it could run Up on its back, and away I did ride"

She smiled and said the door is not longer an exit because HVAC equipment now abuts the back wall.

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The food was edible but the lively bar area is the real draw.  Folks having friendly, good-natured fun, which is how El Paso does things.

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