Old Town Albuquerque

Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay


Old Town in 1972

Plaza of Old Town
Looking across the plaza toward St. Philip Neri Church.

Below: views of the church

Interior of the Church

Old Town Plaza

After not being in Albuquerque since 1972, my travels brought me back in 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2011. Old Town Albuquerque quickly rose to a high rank on my wife's favorite places list.

Old Town

A ristra, a bundle of chili peppers sold, often as not, for decoration.

Church of St. Philip Neri

Civil War Albuquerque

The Confederacy had a grand plan in the West. Secessionists in southern Arizona and New Mexico held conventions and voted to join the Confederacy. A Confederate army in New Mexico planned to capture Fort Union and Raton Pass, then, with the Union forced completely out of the Southwest, advance into Colorado and also capture ports in southern California, cutting the Union off from its sources of gold in both regions. But the Confederacy was narrowly defeated at Glorieta Pass in March, 1862, one of the most important battles most people have never heard of.

Despite winning the skirmish, the Confederates retreated to Texas shortly afterward. They buried their cannons in a field. Years later one of the confederate officers returned and located the cannons. The two in the park are replicas; the originals are in a museum.

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Created 5 March 2009, Last Update 04 June 2020