Las Cruces Downtown

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The History of the Mesilla Valley

The rich history of the city began in the 1600’s as the King of Spain built villages along the Camino Real (the Royal Road) from Mexico City to it’s most northern capital City, Santa Fe. The King of Spain is one of the earliest known city planners as he tried to colonize the nomadic native Indians of the Americas. With no model in the Americas the king found it necessary to write an urban plan to direct the colonization of the Americas. This plan known today as the Law of the Indies developed a detailed urban plan built around a civic plaza with bordered by the church, government buildings and retail establishments. Today along this royal road are 100’s of villages built around this plan with one of the most famous being Santa Fe New Mexico.

In Mesilla Valley along the Camino Real the City of Mesilla was established and remains much the same as it was in the 1600’s. It Plaza and Catholic Church remain center of life and community for the Village of Mesilla. In the 1880’s the railroads were expanding through the region from the east, west north and south. The railroads approached the proud village of Spanish land grant owner for rights of way for the railroad however were denied, as the citizens feared the interference of the railroad with their quaint and sophisticated village.

Hence the railroads bought right of way northeast of Mesilla and established the City of Las Cruces. The depot and rail yards still exist today just west of downtown and the neighborhood of Victorian and Southwest revival homes established the neighborhood we know today as the Alameda historic district that boarders downtown Las Cruces.

Downtown Las Cruces – From the 1880 to 1960

Featured image: Las Cruces Country Music Festival courtesy of William Faulkner Studios

201 N. Church St., Ste. 330
Las Cruces, NM 88001
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