After the end of the mining industry, tourism developed in Boquillas in the 20th century with Jose Falcon's restaurant opening in 1973. In the late 1990s, Boquillas was a small town of around 300 residents primarily dependent on the Big Bend tourist trade with visitors crossing the Rio Grande to visit the village's bar, restaurant, and taco stands. Children posted adjacent to the village's Christian mission sold rocks collected in the desert or from nearby caves. Tourism options included pony and donkey rentals, drinks at Park Bar and overnight stays at a local bed and breakfast known as the Buzzard's Roost (since renamed as La Zappolita).