History of Mesilla, New Mexico
Early History
In the sixteenth century nomadic Indians, such as the Mansos, occupied the Mesilla Valley. Indian Pueblos were located to the north and west. Apaches and other tribes regularly passed through the area and camped in Mesilla. In 1540, Coronado traveled through New Mexico and since he did not find the cities of gold and jewels he had expected, little interest was shown in the state for the next 40 years. Juan de Onate and others came to New Mexico in 1598. From El Paso, they followed the Rio Grande north to conquer the Pueblos and explore for gold and silver. Onate's route became a link between the Spanish settlements of El Paso and Santa Fe and became known as El Camino Real, or the Chihuahua-Santa Fe Trail. It is recorded that Onate stopped in the vicinity of Mesilla on his journey north, but no settlement was established here for over 200 years. After being conquered by the Spaniards and living under Spanish rule, the Pueblo Indians revolted in 1692. Diego de Vargas, traveling north on El Camino Real, organized a successful reconquest soon thereafter. He and his men also passed in the vicinity of Mesilla. New Mexico remained under Spanish rule until 1821, when Mexico achieved her independence from Spain. From this time onward trading along the Chihuahua-Santa Fe Trail flourished and the Rio Grande Valley became both a politically and commercially valuable territory.
Founding of Mesilla
After 1800, the vicinity of Mesilla was a camping and foraging spot for both Spaniards and Mexicans. It wasn't until after the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 that the first permanent settlers came to Mesilla to make it their home. By 1850, Mesilla was a firmly established colony. The constant threat of attack by the Apache put these early settlers on constant alert. Apaches periodically swept through the Mesilla area, stealing livestock and foodstuffs, murdering colonists and seizing captives. Just as frequently the villages swiftly retaliated by sending out the Mesilla Guard, a militia comprised of a man from each household. Time after time the militia wrought revenge on any Apache in the area. In 1851, Apache depredations in the Valley caused the United States government to establish Fort Fillmore to protect the newly conquered territory and its people. As a result of the Mexican War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mesilla was within the strip of land claimed by both the United States and Mexico, a "no mans land".
In 1854, the village, being closer to the fort than either Las Cruces or Dona Ana, became the supply center for the garrisoned troops, providing entertainment, food, hay and building materials. The Mexican inhabitants of Mesilla also provided the knowledge needed to build a fort of adobe. The colony of Mesilla flourished. It was a major stop on the crossroads of the Chihuahua Trail, and now the fort demanded items Easterners were accustomed to having. Business prospered and Anglo merchants such as Fountain, Reynolds, Griggs, and Bean, many of whom had come with the first armies were among those who reaped the profits of commerce. In 1854, The Gadsden Purchase declared Mesilla officially part of the United States. As Mesilla was the most important community in this parcel, the treaty was consummated by the raising of the American flag on the town plaza with much ceremony on November 16, 1854.
The Gadsden Purchase
In 1846, President Polk declared war on Mexico and sent troops to New Mexico and California under General Kearny. This began the military era in New Mexico, which lasted for about 50 years. At this time, Mexican troops were garrisoned in Mesilla. By 1848 the war had ended and most of the state had been ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
According to the treaty, the boundary between the United States and Mexico was to extend from the Gulf of Mexico and follow the Rio Grande to a point eight miles north of El Paso and then continue west to the first branch of the Gila River. The boundary was established from a map drawn by J. Disturnell of New York. When the United States sent men to survey the boundary, they found that the Disturnell map was in error. El Paso was actually located 40 miles north of its position on the map and the Rio Grande was actually 130 miles to the west. A settlement was made between the two countries known as the Gadsden Purchase, but diplomatic tension followed. In 1853, the United States negotiated with Mexico to resolve the boundary dispute which resulted at the termination of the Mexican War and to purchase the land in question. This was known as the Gadsden Purchase. The treaty was consummated by the raising of the United States flag in the Mesilla Plaza by Fort Fillmore troops. With the protection afforded by the forts in the Southwest, north-south and east-west traffic along the trails increased and Mesilla found itself in an optimum location for economic growth. It became an important stop on two stagecoach, mail and trade routes-- the El Camino Real, which reached from Chihuahua to Santa Fe and the Butterfield stage route, which extended from San Antonio to San Diego. The Butterfield Stage Stop was located east of the Mesilla Plaza, between Calle de Guadalupe and Calle de Principal.
The Civil War Period
n the 1860's news of the Civil War and also troop conflict reached Mesilla. Colonel Baylor, Commander of Confederate troops, arrived from Texas and encountered little resistance in the Mesilla Valley.
On July 25, 1861, when Colonel Baylor and his 220 Texas Mounted Rifles entered Mesilla, the Union troops abandoned Fort Fillmore. They surrendered to the Confederate troops at San Augustin Spring, north-west of Mesilla, two days later. Colonel Baylor set up his immediate headquarters on Calle Principal, off the Plaza in Mesilla, and raised the Confederate flag at the Confederate capitol building (on Calle de Guadalupe , where the old theater is today). He established the name of the Confederacy, the short-lived territory of Arizona, with Mesilla as its capital. The Grand Plaza, where the Confederate troops established their headquarters, was located in the area of the school. After the Battle of Glorieta in March of 1862, being short of supplies, the Confederate troops retreated to Texas. This ended the Civil War conflict in New Mexico.
A Lively Social Center
Old San Albino Church
Following the Civil War, Mesilla resumed its role as the commercial and transportation center for the region. It outfitted the profitable mining activities and ranching operations that had become important industries in the territory. An even greater number of passengers and freighters made the town a vital link in the important and dangerous transportation network of the west.
Mesilla was a lively social center in the 1880s. People came from as far as the City of Chihuahua and Tucson to attend bailes (dances), bullfights, cockfights and theatrical presentations. As a social center, the town attracted more than its share of violence. It was not uncommon to see differences settled in the streets with guns. Outlaws such as Dutch Hubert, Nicolas Provencio and Billy the Kid frequented many of the bars and dances in town. It was at the jail and courthouse on the southeast corner of the plaza that Billy the Kid was tried and sentenced to hang in 1881. The town of Mesilla was as wild as the West ever was.
In 1881, the railroad bypassed Mesilla in favor of Las Cruces, four miles to the northeast. With this event, the county seat was moved to Las Cruces and Mesilla's importance was soon dimmed by its neighbor. As a result, Mesilla has experienced little growth until recently, and so, has retained much of its original nineteenth century character.
Billy the Kid
The 1950s and 1960s saw new building growth in more modern styles. Citizens of Mesilla, wanting to retain the character of the original town, enacted a historic zoning ordinance to promote the preservation of this lovely old town. Because of this timely action, the town retains the physical proportions and scale that it had a hundred years ago. Stabilization, restoration and rehabilitation projects undertaken by individual property owners and businesses have, for the most part, retained the architectural character of the structures.
The Rio Grande
The Rio Grande has played an important role in the Mesilla Valley because so many people have depended upon it for subsistence. When the settlement was first organized, the area was a bosque or woodland. As a result of natural processes in areas of low river gradient and the lack of control, the river changed its course a number of times, causing flooding, property destruction and loss of life. When Mesilla was founded, the Rio Grande actually flowed between Mesilla and Las Cruces. To travel from Mesilla to Las Cruces required taking a barge, which operated like a modern-day ferry. In 1863 , a course change was initiated, leaving Mesilla as an island. Later in the 1870's, a swamp developed and with it, mosquitoes, yellow fever and malaria. More than 50 Mesilla residents died as a result. The River again changed its course in 1885 to its present location.
Today, one of the old river banks may be viewed when driving south on Avenida de Mesilla from Interstate10, just to the north of the current Way Out West Restaurant.
Advent of the Railroad
One of the purposes of the United States in acquiring the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico was to establish a southern railroad route through the area. In 1881, when the Santa Fe Railroad was completed in southern New Mexico, the people of Mesilla did not want the railroad to go through their community. Routing the railroad through Las Cruces instead of Mesilla contributed to Las Cruces' growth and allowed Mesilla to retain many of its physical characteristics and charm, a tangible reminder of its long and significant past.
Political History
In 1850, the Mesilla Civil Colony Land Grant was established by the Mexican government to give settlers in Mesilla land ownership. The grant was later honored by the United States Government. The Civil Colony Land Grant was established to govern the entire town and to distribute the common lands. Father Ramon Ortiz was the Commissioner of Lands in 1851 and in 1853, Guadalupe Miranda filled the office. The Civil Colony Grant Board does not exist today. The Town of Mesilla was incorporated in 1861. In 1882, the year after the railroad was constructed, Mesilla lost its position as the county seat, which it had held since 1855. The county seat was transferred to Las Cruces. In 1958, Mesilla became re-incorporated and became governed by a mayor and Board of Trustees.
Perhaps one of the more infamous political mishaps of Mesilla's storied past occurred Sunday, August 27th, 1871. On that day, organized members of the democratic and republican parties, held rallies on the plaza. In the interest of peace, leaders of both parties agreed to meet in different areas, the democrats on the plaza and the republicans in front of the residence of their leader, John Lemon, at the Southeast corner of the plaza. At first, it appeared both meetings had taken place without incident. However, agitators from both parties were not satisfied. It seems they wanted to close their respective meetings with procession and marching around the Plaza. The cheapest of whiskey had flowed freely among the participants. The two processions met on the west side of the Plaza, in the area in front of the present day Mesilla Book Center. Angry discussions lead to shots being fired and several fights. In the end, nine men were killed including John Lemon and between forty and fifty were wounded. Troops were summoned from Fort McRae to restore order. They remained for a few nights until calm was restored. Fortunately, despite the number of women and children in the Plaza, none were killed or injured that day.
With no judge in that district at the time, a judge was summoned from another district to hold an investigation into the matter. After three days, the judge determined it was too dangerous to do any investigation, became demoralized and returned home without any action. Nobody was ever punished by law for any of the incidents that occurred that day. (For more information on this event, read History of the Old West by George Griggs.)
The Plaza
At the time Mesilla was founded, the population of the town was concentrated around the Plaza for defense against Apache Raiders who were a constant threat to the settlement. Many of the adobe buildings built during that era remain today. Perhaps the most significant event to occur on the Plaza included the consummation of the Gadsden Purchase by the raising of the United States flag in the Plaza by troops from Ft. Fillmore in 1853. Another less colorful event that occurred was a political riot in 1871 where Republicans and Democrats met after simultaneous political rallies on the west side of the Plaza. Fighting occurred resulting in several deaths and injuries (see political history). On September 10, 1957, the Mesilla Plaza was declared a state monument of New Mexico because of its historical significance in both the history of the state and the history of the United States. The Plaza was initially listed on the National Register in January 1982, as a National Historic landmark. Mesilla's Historic district was added to the National Registry in February, 1985. Today, quaint gift shops, galleries, and world-renowned dining and drinking establishments occupy the Plaza and its surrounding historical buildings. The plaza and gazebo were refurbished in 1978 to better accommodate the residents and the growing number of visitors to the town. The Plaza is also home to many cultural and historical activities, the most prominent of which are the Cinco de Mayo and 16th de Septiembre Fiesta Celebrations. Also, gaining in popularity is the Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration that occurs the first part of November. On Christmas Eve, the Plaza becomes magically alive with thousands of luminarios outlining streets, sidewalks and buildings celebrating the holiday season.