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The historic Old Town of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is where the original settlement of the city began.
History
In 1706, the Spanish governor of New Mexico, Francisco Cuervo y Valdés (1651-1714), founded La Villa de Albuquerque as an outpost on El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the royal Spanish road from Mexico City to Santa Fe. That outpost grew to become what is now the most populous city in the state.
Today, Old Town is a vibrant neighborhood full of restaurants, art galleries, craft shops, cafés, boutique hotels, and museums. Old Town occupies just 8/10 of a square mile and is a great place to spend a half day or more.
Plaza
We started our visit to Old Town at the plaza. It’s a pleasant space with a gazebo in the center and tall trees to allow visitors to cool off in the shade.
Confederate Cannons
Also in the center of the plaza are two replica Confederate cannons used in the Civil War. In April 1862, when Confederate forces were retreating from New Mexico back to Texas after the Battle of Glorieta Pass (now part of Pecos National Historical Park), Confederate artillery commander Major Trevanion T. Teel, buried eight cannon barrels about 500 feet northeast of the plaza to prevent their capture by Union forces. Teel returned 27 years later to reveal the location of the cannons, and they were excavated from a chili pepper patch.
Two of the cannons remained in Albuquerque, where locals made new carriages for them. The originals stood in the plaza for several years until they were moved to the Albuquerque Museum (see below). There have been calls to remove the cannons from the plaza.
Buildings on the Plaza
The plaza is surrounded by historic buildings, including the San Felipe de Neri Church, which is covered in another entry. Local artisans sell handmade jewelry and other crafts under the portal on the east side of the plaza.
Shopping
Leaving the plaza and walking through the few streets to the north are plenty of little shopping plazas with hidden art galleries and cafés. Down Romero Street is Plaza Don Luis and Plazuela Sombra.
There are plenty more along Church Street and San Felipe Street as well. Church Street connects Romero and San Felipe Streets while San Felipe Street runs to the east of the plaza.
It’s fun to walk into the little alleys and plazas because you never know what you’re going to find. There are lots of hidden gems and some great photo ops.
We just browsed through some of the shops and galleries and had some ice cream. We also bought some sweets at La Choco.
Casa de Ruiz
Along Church street is the Casa de Ruiz, which is now the Church Street Cafe. It was built in 1706, shortly after the founding of Albuquerque. It’s regarded as the oldest house in Albuquerque and one of the oldest structures in New Mexico. The structure remained a residence until its last inhabitant, Rufina G. Ruiz, died in 1991 at the age of 91.
Albuquerque Museum
The Albuquerque Museum is located in Old Town. It contains exhibits on the history of the city as well as art from the Southwest. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm and adult admission is US$6 (as of May 2023). Unfortunately, it was closed when we walked by.
The Albuquerque Museum, formerly the Albuquerque Museum of History and Art, opened in 1967 at the Albuquerque International Sunport. The collection soon outgrew the space there and the current building was built in 1979. It was designed by American architect Antoine Predock (b. 1936) and was expanded in 2005.
Bottger Mansion
Finally, south of the plaza on San Felipe Street is Bottger Mansion. Now a bed and breakfast, it was built in 1912 by Charles Bottger, who moved to Albuquerque from New York City in 1893. The house was designed by local architect Edward Buxton Cristy and was the first house in Old Town to have gas lighting.
Bottger died in 1914 and his wife, Miguela, turned the mansion into a boarding house in the 1940s. Notable guests include Machine Gun Kelly (1895-1954), Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra. The house stood empty after a family dispute around 1970, and it was later sold. It was used as an art gallery, restaurant, beauty parlor, and other business before it became a bed and breakfast in 1989.
