Old Town Albuquerque

Old Town comprises about ten blocks of historic adobe buildings, which surround Old Town Plaza. (Plazas were a common feature of Spanish colonial towns.) On the plaza's north side stands San Felipe de Neri Church, a Spanish colonial church constructed in the 18th century.

Old Town was assimilated into the city of Albuquerque ("New Town") in the 1940s; today, it is a shopping and tourist destination. Many of the buildings in Old Town are residences that were converted into restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Bands play in the plaza's gazebo. During the Christmas and holiday season, thousands of luminarias (paper lanterns) line the streets and walkways.

The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, and the Explora science center are northeast of Old Town.