Neha Patil (Editor)

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Country
  
United States

County
  
ZIP code
  
88435

Area
  
36.7 km²

Population
  
141 (2010)

State
  
Time zone
  
Mountain (UTC-7)

Area code(s)
  
575

Elevation
  
1,370 m

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico 1bpblogspotcomcOrpypo4BZoU4qTvowXYIAAAAAAA

Puerto de luna new mexico


Puerto De Luna is a census-designated place (CDP) in Guadalupe County, New Mexico, United States. It lies 12.6 miles south-southeast of Santa Rosa on New Mexico Highway 91 and on the bank of the Pecos River. The community is located west of, but not within, the Llano Estacado of Eastern New Mexico and West Texas.

Contents

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico Puerto De Luna NM Santa Rosa Photo Album Topix

The population was 141 at the 2010 census.

History

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico Puerto de Luna New Mexico

The site is reputed to have been visited by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, who is believed to have camped here in 1541, on his way east in search of Quivira.

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico Puerto de Luna Historic New Mexico Western Trips

The first recorded permanent settlement was in 1863, when six Hispanic families built a dike on the Pecos to divert water for irrigation, and began land cultivation. A post office was established in 1873. A notable settler was Padre Polaco a.k.a. Alexander Grzelachowski who originally came to New Mexico at age 27 with Archbishop Lamy,,and settled in Puerto de Luna in 1874 opening up the mercantile store. In 1891 he donated the land for the county courthouse. and the community became the county seat of Guadalupe County . But it was overtaken by Santa Rosa when the railroad arrived there, and went into decline shortly after. The county seat was moved to Santa Rosa in 1903.

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico Puerto De Luna Weather Forecast

Billy the Kid reportedly ate his last Christmas Eve dinner here in 1880, while being transported to trial in Las Vegas in the custody of Pat Garrett.

The author Rudolfo Anaya references Puerto De Luna in his autobiographical novel Bless Me, Ultima.

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico Old Guadalupe County Courthouse Puerto de Luna New Mexic Flickr

The author Calvin Rutstrum bought, renovated and lived in a house here in the 1960s. His book Greenhorns in the Southwest (University of New Mexico Press, 1972) is a semi-autobiographical account of that period.

The roofless shell of the county courthouse remains the largest edifice.

Etymology

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico Puerto de Luna Historic New Mexico Western Trips

Legend has it that Coronado gave the name to the spot where he camped, having seen the rising full moon through a narrow gap in the hills east of the site (English: Gateway of the Moon).

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico Best Places to Live in Puerto de Luna New Mexico

An alternative, more practical name origin refers to the Luna family, who lived at the mouth of Puerto Creek in the 1860s.

Local residents often refer casually to the community as PDL.

References

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico Wikipedia


Similar Topics