DISCOVER-THE-BEST-OF-Albuquerque

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Old Town Albuquerque
Old Town is the historic original town
site of Albuquerque, New Mexico, for
the provincial kingdom of Santa Fe de
Nuevo México, established in 1706 by
New Mexico governor Francisco Cuervo
y Valdés. It is listed on the New Mexico
State Register of Cultural Properties as
the Old Albuquerque Historic District,
and is protected by a special historic
zoning designation by the city. The
present-day district contains about ten
blocks of historic adobe buildings surrounding
Old Town Plaza. On the plaza’s
north side stands San Felipe de Neri
Church, a Spanish colonial church constructed
in 1793.
Old Town is a popular tourist destination
with a large number of restaurants,
shops, and galleries, and is also home to
the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History.
The New Mexico Museum of Natural
History and Science and the Explora science
center are located a short distance
to the northeast. Old Town is known for
its luminaria displays during the holiday
season, particularly on Christmas Eve.
Old Town occupies an area of about 0.8
square miles (2.1 km2), roughly bounded
by Rio Grande Boulevard, Mountain
Road, 19th Street, and Central Avenue.
At the center is Old Town Plaza, surrounded
by approximately ten blocks of
one- and two-story buildings. The central
plaza layout was favored by Spanish
colonial authorities and is found in
many other cities and towns throughout
New Mexico, including Santa Fe, Taos,
Las Vegas, and Mesilla. The area around
Old Town was originally farmland, but it
has been covered over by 20th century
urban development.
The Spanish villa of Alburquerque was
founded in 1706 by Francisco Cuervo
y Valdés, who was the governor of New
Mexico at the time. Cuervo reported that
the new settlement was home to 252 residents
and had been laid out with streets,
a plaza, and a church in accordance
with the town planning regulations set
forth in the Laws of the Indies. Cuervo’s
account had been exaggerated in order
to offer a centralized Villa to better serve
the already existent Hispano and Pueblo
communities. Those communities included
Barelas, Corrales, Isleta Pueblo,
Los Ranchos, Sandia Pueblo, and others
along the Rio Grande rather than a centralized
settlement. After a formal investigation,
the villa was allowed to keep its
title, especially as it was established to
serve those communities as an outpost
on Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.
Like other Spanish colonial settlements,
Albuquerque consisted of a central
plaza surrounded by houses, government
offices, and a church. For much of
the 18th century, the homes around the
plaza were inhabited only on Sundays as
the residents spent the rest of the week
on their farms. It was not until the late
1700s that a permanent population was
established at the plaza. Possession of
Albuquerque, along with the rest of New
Mexico, passed to Mexico in 1821 following
the Mexican War of Independence.
Albuquerque Museum
of Art and History
Albuquerque Museum, formerly known
as The Albuquerque Museum of Art and
History, is located in Albuquerque, New
Mexico in Old Town Albuquerque. The Albuquerque
Museum is dedicated to preserving
the art of the American Southwest
and the history of Albuquerque and the
Middle Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico.
The museum also contributes significantly
to the cultural and educational
programs in the city of Albuquerque. The
museum features art of the Southwest
and its global influences, as well as 400
years of Albuquerque history with permanent
installations and special exhibitions
of national and international origin.
The museum was first opened as the Museum
of Albuquerque in 1967 and located
in the Albuquerque International Sunport.
The collection outgrew the available
space in the terminal, and the current location
was built in 1979. The building was
designed by Antoine Predock and was
significantly expanded in 2005.
The museum’s permanent exhibits are
dedicated to art in New Mexico, and
the history of Albuquerque include early
maps, conquistador armor, weavings,
and other artifacts of colonial life in New
Mexico. The museum also hosts changing
exhibits, a massive photo archive,
art galleries, and maintains an outdoor
sculpture garden on the grounds.
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