Our History

Albuquerque History

New Mexico itself has history millions of years in the making. At one time, the region was an inland sea, which explains the many distinct and colorful mountains, mesas (flat top mountains), and natural features displaying the various layers of sediment deposited. With incredible geological changes – such as volcanic, earthquake, and cosmic events – New Mexico’s landscape was painted with a wide brush. Much of this pre-historic story is recorded and studied at the various museums dedicated to preserving this past. You can see well preserved dinosaur fossils, evidence of the vast number of volcanoes, and even proof that New Mexico was once riddled with meteorites.

Fast forward to New Mexico’s more recent past, just over 10,000 years ago, when a succession of Native American cultures appeared in the region. They became caretakers of the rivers and the fertile lands where they grew their crops. The Anasazi ancestors of the Puebloan Indians came to the area around 1100 AD, and embarked upon an agrarian culture that survives to this day throughout the Rio Grande valley.

In the early 1500’s, Spanish Conquistadores traveled north from Mexico in search of the legendary Seven Cities of Gold. Although they never found Eldorado, by the early 1600’s, Spanish settlers began colonizing the area. The Pueblo revolt of 1680, led by the Pueblo Indians, drove the Spanish south to what is present-day El Paso for 12 years, but the indelible imprint of Spanish culture remained. The Spanish eventually returned, and their influence can be seen to this day.

What began as a colonial farming village and military outpost along the Camino Real – the “Royal Road” of commerce and cultural exchange stretching between Chihuahua, Mexico and Santa Fe, New Mexico – eventually grew into the town of Albuquerque. In 1706, a central plaza, with a church, government buildings, and a circle of adobe homes, became what is now known as the Old Town section of Albuquerque.

Back in Spain in 1706, Viceroy Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva, the Duke of Alburquerque, gave his approval for the name of the village in the New World. His title would later give this place its affectionate nickname: The Duke City. Somewhere along the way, that first “r” in Alburquerque simply vanished, and the original spelling was forgotten.

The Church of San Felipe de Neri was originally built on the west side of the plaza in 1706, but was rebuilt in 1793 in its present location on the north side. When Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, New Mexico came under Mexican rule for a brief period of time. Traders from the East poured down the Santa Fe Trail. U.S troops soon followed, and in 1846, New Mexico was annexed as a territory of the United States. During the Civil War, Confederate troops briefly occupied Old Town, deploying cannons that are still on display in the Plaza and at the Albuquerque Museum.

When the railroad arrived in the 1880’s, Albuquerque went all out to welcome strangers from the East – merchants, bankers, men, women, and children arrived, all looking for ways to build a new life in a new land. The area around the train depot in the downtown area quickly became Albuquerque’s commercial center. In 1885, Albuquerque incorporated as a town and, six years later, took the necessary steps to become a city.

Your experience in the fourth largest state in the United States can take you from low lying river beds, to arid deserts, to some of the most beautiful mountain tops. There is so much to discover here, from worldly wonders like Carlsbad Caverns, to the natural gypsum deposit known as White Sands, to thousand year old civilizations, such as Acoma and Taos Pueblos.

Wherever you wish to visit and whatever you desire to do, our entire staff is dedicated to providing you with the information to make your experience truly memorable. Welcome to the gateway to it all. Welcome to Hotel Andaluz.