Southern New Mexico, Las Cruces & Mesilla

From the conical mountain named Picacho, standing solidly beneath the western mesa, to the soaring stovepipes of the Organ Mountains to the east, behind the hump of Tortuga peak, Las Cruces and its neighboring villages and towns occupy all of the Mesilla Valley and spill upward onto the heights. It’s an elderly city with many attractions, diversions and destinations.

The city’s name means "the crosses." Legend has it that the crosses were to mark the graves of three unlucky travelers on the Camino Reál, perhaps as long as 400 years ago. The blending of the indigenous peoples with the Spanish colonists and later the cowboy and western settlers makes for the compelling, spicy mixture of language, cuisine and lifestyle of today's Las Cruces. What was once a travelers' rest stop on that ancient road has itself become a destination for travelers — Forbes magazine’s number one small metro area in which to do business, and Money Magazine’s top area in which to live.

The region developed into a farming and ranching community, primarily gathered in and around the old section, the village of Mesilla, five minutes to the west. Once the colonial capital of a vast Spanish land grant, the village has maintained its Spanish and territorial architecture and atmosphere. Mesilla offers a quaint plaza, along with some wonderful restaurants, galleries, shops, cantinas, a bookstore and The Fountain Theatre, a wonderful old-time movie theater in the heart of the town. Mesilla was also a haunt of the notorious Billy the Kid and his nemesis, Sheriff Pat Garrett. In 1854, the Gadsden Purchase made the town of Mesilla an official part of the United States. Each November 12, the town celebrates the ratification of the Gadsden Purchase, El Tratado de Mesilla, with a reenactment ceremony on the Plaza.

Agriculture has always been the way of life of the verdant valley, with the Rio Grande feeding a system of manmade irrigation canals that lace upward along the slopes to water the fields. Early Spanish priests brought wine grapes and the wine and brandy produced were consumed as far away as San Diego. In this last century, pecan orchards and chile fields have joined the vineyards. This valley is the chile capital of the world, so plan on sinking your teeth into some.

You'll find plenty of expression of the visual and performing arts in Las Cruces. Downtown’s Branigan Cultural Center is headquarters for many artistic and entertaining endeavors, including the Museum of Fine Art and Culture as well as a historical museum. Numerous galleries showcase local artists and several theater groups offer productions year-round. The Las Cruces Symphony and Las Cruces Ballet are among the fine performing arts groups. Festivals and fairs take place all year, such as the Wine and Chile Festival on Memorial Day, the Whole Enchilada Fiesta in October and the Renaissance Arts and Crafts Fair held in November.

South of Las Cruces on NM 28 you’ll find the Rio Grande valley. This is the Camino Reál, (the “Royal Road,”), the trade route from Mexico City to Santa Fe. Along this north-south corridor, many of the towns began as mission settlements. The road takes visitors through a rich farming valley, past cantinas, restaurants, chile stands and curio shops, chile, cotton, and alfalfa fields, and through the largest pecan orchard in the nation, with its own retail store halfway through the trees.

West of Las Cruces is the trail used by the legendary Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoaches of the pre-Civil War era. Sitting right on the Mexico border 30 miles south of Deming down NM Highway 11 is the village of Columbus. This little town was once invaded by the notorious Pancho Villa, and thus became the base and staging point for General "Blackjack" Pershing’s southerly expeditions to try to capture the raider.

Rising into the Organ Mountains, US Highway 82-70 brings you first to a high scenic viewpoint: 5,700-foot San Agustín Pass. Beyond are the Tularosa Basin and the Sacramento Mountains on the eastern horizon. Just down the hill on the other side of the pass is White Sands Missile Range, which took its name from White Sands (now a national monument), a natural wonder that comes into view on the north side of the highway about 20 minutes farther along. The miles of snow-white sand dunes will intrigue you as will a venture into the park, where the whole world turns white.

Carlsbad Caverns is just a little farther on US 285. The enormous, easy-to-navigate walkways, galleries, stalactites and stalagmites are simply beautiful and awe-inspiring.

NM 185 and I-25 both lead to Fort Selden, and the Southern New Mexico towns of Hatch and Truth or Consequences. Fort Selden is the ruin of an old cavalry post. Hatch is the famous home of the Hatch Chile Festival, and of best-in-the-world Hatch chile, grown in this lush section of the valley. As you push north from Hatch you’ll pass two large desert reservoirs, Caballo and Elephant Butte where boating, water skiing, and fishing are available when the area is not in a drought. Elephant Butte is at the town of Truth or Consequences where mineral baths and hot springs are available.

The paths surrounding Las Cruces are the same as those used by prehistoric Native Americans, conquistadors, Western immigrants, outlaws, stagecoaches and cattlemen. But you’ve just gotten a taste of this majestic land, so make plans to return soon.