OLD TOWN ALBUQUERQUE

Once running through Old Town Plaza was El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Royal Road of the Interior Lands, which connected Mexico City with New Mexico's Spanish capitals, San Gabriel and, later, Santa Fe. From 1598 until the opening of the Santa Fe Trail in 1821, El Camino Real was the main route into New Mexico for people, animals and goods from distant places. Now El Camino Real is a National Historic Trail designated by the U.S. government.

Old Town today looks much like it did when it was built centuries ago, 70 years before the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Its Pueblo-Spanish-style architecture, with flat-roofed buildings and soft contours of adobe, mirrors the Southwestern landscape. Long portals (porches) line the fronts of most buildings, offering shade from the New Mexican sun. Bancos (benches) are often found built into the back walls of the portals, providing the perfect place for weary walkers to sit and be soothed by a Southwestern sunset.

Activities and events still revolve around the picturesque plaza, much as they did 300 years ago. Visitors to Old Town will find a treasure trove of history, hidden in plain sight at the center of modern Albuquerque.