History of Albuquerque New Mexico
The Humble Beginnings of New Mexico’s Largest City

Modern day Albuquerque is considerably larger in size and population than its northern neighbor, Santa Fe, however that was not always the case. Like many New Mexico cities, Albuquerque’s first occupants were the Ancestral Puebloan Tribes. These tribes arrived in the early 6 th century and lived here in adobe and brick pit homes along the banks of the Rio Grande, planting corn, beans, and squash. Those early Pueblos disappeared around 1300 AD, leaving only a handful of descendent tribes living in the area.

In 1540 Spanish Conquistador, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, arrived in the area searching for gold and the Seven Cities of Cibola. Coronado conquered the lands of what we now call New Mexico, calling them the “ Kingdom of New Mexico” and claiming them for Spain. Coronado and his men passed through the land that is now Albuquerque and spent the winter of 1540 at Kuaua, a Pueblo on the Rio Grande. Much of New Mexico saw violent uprisings and economical growth over the next 150 years. Several trading posts and small settlements in the Bosque Grande de San Francisco Xavier region sprang up, while Albuquerque remained unfounded. In 1706 a small band of Spanish colonists were granted permission from King Philip of Spain to establish the settlement that would one day be known as Albuquerque. Those early settlers named the town “Villa de Alburquerque” after the Duke of Alburquerque. Later the first “r” was dropped and the name became “ Albuquerque” To this day Albuquerque is still nicknamed ' Duke City'. The settlers deliberately chose to settle near the mountains on a wide curve along the banks of the Rio Grande (meaning ‘ Big River’). The area offered excellent irrigation for crops, plenty of wood for building, and protection from, as well as trading opportunities with, local Pueblo tribes. These early Spanish colonists were religious people with their own devout religious traditions. As they settled the banks of the Rio Grande, they made their first order of business the construction of a small adobe chapel, calling it San Felipe de Neri, and making it the center of town. They then set upon building their homes in the plaza surrounding the chapel. For nearly another 200 years Albuquerque remained a small and dusty western trading post. Areas north of Albuquerque, like Santa Fe and Taos, continued to grow thanks to a steady increase of trade, brought about by the inrush of trappers and traders to those areas. But Albuquerque carried on as the small town home of several close-knit Spanish families, descendants of the original settlers.

In 1821 Mexico seceded from Spain and the Spanish territory of Bosque Grande de San Francisco Xavier became a territory of Mexico. Unremarkably, Albuquerque found itself under the jurisdiction of Mexico. Then, in 1846, the region changed hands again with America’s conquest of the west and the territory fell under the control of the United States. Shortly thereafter, Albuquerque was established as an official U.S. Military outpost. During the American Civil War Albuquerque was briefly claimed as a Southern conquest during the battle of Glorieta. Albuquerque’s most significant changes began with the arrival of the Railroad in 1880. The railroad brought supplies as well as flocks of Anglo settlers to Albuquerque, thus expanding the geography of the town as well as its ethnic make-up. In 1885 Albuquerque was officially deemed a US town, and in 1891, just 6 years later, it was formally incorporated as a city. In 1889 the University of New Mexico was founded, and would grow to be the state’s largest public university. New Mexico became the 47 th U.S. State in 1912, and Albuquerque’s induction into the United Sates of America was complete.

The 20 th century brought all the expected advancements to Albuquerque, however there were some particularly notable events for the city. The famous Route 66, which passed through Albuquerque, was formally designated a federal highway in 1926 and continues to this day to be a hot spot for tourism. In 1928 Sunport International Airport opened in Albuquerque bringing visitors from all over the world. Today today nearly 17,000 passengers travel through its gates each day. The 1940’s and the onset of World War II marked the beginning of Albuquerque’s hi-tech era, and the subsequent founding of Kirtland Air Force Base and the Sandia National Laboratories. Today Albuquerque is well known for its Hot Air Balloon Festival which was founded in 1972 when a gathering of 13 balloon enthusiasts took to the air from the parking lot of Coronado Center. Formally called the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, each year the festival sees the launch of over 700 hot air balloons and tens of thousands of visitors.

Despite its humble and often unremarkable beginnings, Albuquerque has evolved into Mew Mexico’s largest metropolis expanding some 133 square miles with nearly three-quarter of a million residents. Each year Albuquerque sees new residents and experience significant growth, however it still holds on to its history. San Felipe de Neri, the adobe chapel constructed by the first Spanish settlers, still stands on its original spot. The chapel has seen several renovations and expansions but still maintains its original, thick, adobe walls, constructed over 300 years ago. The church is considered to be the heart of Albuquerque and is the center of Old Town ’s activity, shopping, dining, and tourism.

Albuquerque Historical Timeline