Albuquerque is one of the oldest in the nation having just celebrated its 300th birthday in 2006. Albuquerque’s earliest residents – like many communities in New Mexico – were the Native Americans who lived in the area for thousands of years and continue to do so. Evidence of their lives can see be seen in the ancient rock carvings left behind at the Petroglyph National Monument. Many traditions and customs of the first New Mexicans have been handed down through the generations and are still in practice today.

1540 saw the arrival of the first Spanish explorers in Albuquerque under General Francisco de Coronado. Years later, King Philip of Spain granted permission to a group of colonists to form a new city who choose a site along the banks of the Rio Grande at the foot of the mountains. This location would prove to be very beneficial because the river provided excellent irrigation for crops and a source for wood for tools, housing and fire.
The colony’s Governor, Francisco Cuervo y Valdez, named the new villa after Spain’s Duke of Alburquerque. Over the centuries the first “r” was dropped, leaving Albuquerque spelled as we know it today.

After Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, it opened up to more trade with the United States. Before long, the Santa Fe Trail – leading from Missouri to Santa Fe – joined up with the Camino Real down into Albuquerque. Now an important city linking east to west and Mexico to Santa Fe, Albuquerque was an attractive city to all walks of life from homesteaders and cowboys to shady suspects and merchants. Soon after, with the help of Franz Huning German immigrant and trader, Albuquerque was soon a premier stop for the The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

As trains gave way to the automobile, a new soon to be famous route would find its way through town. Route 66, making its way through the heart of Albuquerque, would not bring thousands of visitors to the Duke City. Soon, the downtown Albuquerque was aglow as neon signs greeted patrons up and down Central Avenue, giving Albuquerque the nickname the “City of Neon”.

the history of ballooning, including items from famous balloonists such as Ed Yost, Joseph Kittinger, and Ben Abruzzo.

Things to see and do in Albuquerque
Sandia Peak Tramway / Albuquerque Biological Park / Old Town Albuquerque / Indian Pueblo Cultural Center / Balloon Museum

Other Albuquerque links
History / Hotels / Maps / Contact the Albuquerque CVB