"Mesilla, New Mexico" a Mesilla Travel Page by leafmcgowan

Historic Old Mesilla, New Mexico
www.vivamesilla.org
"After the shopping and dining, the rest is history." "- Over 50 unique shops, - award winning restaurants and cafes, - museums and galleries, - lodging.

Mesilla ("Little Tableland") is the best-known and most visited historical community in Southern New Mexico. Since its' beginning, around 1848, Mesilla has had a major influence on the economic, cultural, historical, and political life of the Mesilla Valley. From the Gadsden Purchase, to the Civil War, to the Butterfield Stage Coach Trail, to the trial of Billy the Kid, to being a lively social center in the 1880s--Mesilla has been a prominent part of the rich history of the Southwest.

Today, many of Mesilla's population of nearly 2,200 residents are direct descendents of Mesilla's early settlers. As such, they have retained many of the "hearty folk" qualities of the original founders. Mesilla has a rich and diverse heritage with the integration of Indian, Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo-American cultures. Perhaps the greatest import of the past history is the physical character of the community itself. The traditional adobe structures and architectural features modified through time because of style and technology still remain as a reminder of the long and significant history of the town."
(description from the brochure and www.vivamesilla.org website)

With a local tourguide/friend showing me around ... exploring the plaza ... the shops ... the cuisine ... I was extremely impressed. With a taste of reminensce of Santa Fe and Taos, I had no idea this small city of Las Cruces had a small village attached to it with such splendor as Old Mesilla. Very quiet, relaxing, and enchanting. A piece of the Land of Enchantment one thinks of about New Mexico. I give it a 4 1/2 stars out of 5. (visited 9/15/05)