Las Cruces is the 2nd largest city in New Mexico, with a population of nearly 100,000.
Even though Las Cruces is not on Route 66, you can still find kitschy sculptures. The largest chile pepper in the world can be found at the Big Chile Inn, located at 2160 W. Picacho Avenue.
Mesilla is a small town with a population of 2,000 in the southwest corner of Las Cruces. The Old Town has a nice plaza.
San Albino Church, on the plaza, is the oldest church in Mesilla Valley. It was established in 1851 but the current structure was constructed half a century later.
Thick walled adobe buildings line the plaza. They once protected residents against Apache attacks. Today, they house restaurants, shops and galleries.
My favorite store on the plaza was the Nambe store and they were having a sale!
This building was the county courthouse where Billy the Kid was sentenced to death. He escaped but was eventually killed by Pat Garrett. Today, it's a gift shop.
Many of the buildings are decorated with ristras--red chile strung together representing the hospitality of the southwest.
Other tourist sites in Las Cruces include the Las Cruces Plaza, which I did not think was worth a stop. I wanted to see the Recycled Roadrunner Sculpture but it required a huge detour to see it so we skipped it.
2020 06 29
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