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By Presidential Proclamation, President George W. Bush designated
September 15 - October 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Heritage Documentation Programs is pleased to promote awareness
of and appreciation for the history and accomplishments of Hispanic
Americans during this month. As part of this celebration, our
site showcases a selection of historic properties documented
by the Historic American Buildings Survey and the Historic American
Landscapes Survey, commemorating the events and people, the
designs and achievements that help illustrate Hispanic Americans'
contributions to American history. This year we commemorate
the New Mexico town of Mesilla, nestled within desert brush
near the Rio Grande River. Though small in size, the town of
Mesilla is rich with history spanning American Indian settlement,
early trade routes, wars, and the establishment of the United
States and Mexico border. The history of Mesilla lives not only
through memory but through its physical presence, which preserves
many of its traditional adobe structures and architectural features
as well as its unique, multi-cultural, social character.
Featured Properties
Mesilla Plaza
HALS NM-2
Mesilla, New Mexico
On November 16th, 1864, the United States flag was raised on
the Mesilla Plaza to signify the Gadsden Purchase Treaty. Learn
more...
Barela-Reynolds House
HABS NM-205
Mesilla, New Mexico
Considered an excellent example of a Territorial-style structure.
Learn more...
La Iglesia de San Albino
HABS NM-213
Mesilla, New Mexico
The Church of San Albino, built in 1906, occupies the location
of an 1857 adobe church and is one of the oldest churches in
Mesilla Valley. Learn more...
The Maurin Building
HABS NM-214
Mesilla, New Mexico
This is one of the oldest documented brick buildings in New
Mexico, built by Augustine Maurin in 1863. Learn
more...
Learn More
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