When El Pasoans walk, they celebrate the endurance of the Franciscan friars and the Native Americans who long ago traversed on foot the vast Southwestern landscape. Fray García founded Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission at the Pass of the North in 1659 (El Paso, Texas and C. Juarez, Chihuahua). The little community became an important settlement on the Camino Real de Adentro (Royal Road of the Interior) that linked Mexico City to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Fray García Monument, the first statue in the XII Travelers series, was created by sculptor John Sherrill Houser and was dedicated in 1996. Fray García holds the lintel beam for the Guadalupe Mission and beckons to the region's Manso and Suma Indians to join him in building the construction of the Guadalupe Mission at the Pass of the North, which today is the historical treasure in downtown Cd. Juarez, El Paso's sister city. The beam is inscribed with the name of the mission and the year of its founding, 1659. Spanish and Indian craftsmen carved the ceiling beams with floral designs, which are resplendent today. At Fray García's feet is an Indian basket laden with the Mission Grape. He introduced Christianity and European agriculture and livestock to the region. The Guadlupe medallion hangs from his neck, and at his waist are the Franciscan crucifix and rosary. The bronze maquette was permanently installed at the entrance of the old mission, Nuestra Señora de Guadalup that was built by Fray García and still stands in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.