Old Town Albuquerque

MONDAY. We're waiting for a major snowstorm here in Albuquerque, which should get cranking this evening and continue through tomorrow night. The wind has already started to kick up. On our morning shopping excursion, we saw a few rain showers and some amazing rainbows. Tomorrow should be interesting. We haven't seen snow in four years. This afternoon we brought some wood inside and figured out how to open the damper in our kiva fireplace. We're well-stocked with hot cocoa. Snowstorm? Bring it on--we're ready!

Yesterday, a perfect 60 degree day, we enjoyed a walk through Old Town, only a few miles south of our comfy adobe home. Settled in 1706 by Spanish families, Old Town was established in the fertile Rio Grande Valley, an oasis in the Chihuahuan desert. A military outpost and colonial farming village along the historic Camino Real (the road that linked Mexico with the United States), Old Town Albuquerque was a typical Spanish town consisting of a central plaza surrounded by a church, homes, and government buildings. Some of the original homes are still standing. San Felipe de Neri Church, on the north side of Old Town Plaza, is the oldest surviving building in Albuquerque.

Albuquerque's 2006 Tricentennial commemorates 300 years of tradition, culture, and progress. However, evidence of habitation near Albuquerque dates back 12,000 years. Several hundred years before the Spanish arrived, Anasazi Indians (Ancestral Puebloans) settled and lived in the area for two centuries, from 1100 to 1300.

Old Town comprises about ten blocks of historic adobe buildings situated around a central plaza. Many of the original buildings have been renovated and now house restaurants, galleries, shops and offices. On Christmas Eve, thousands of luminarias line the streets of Old Town.