Old Town Alburquerque

Layer by layer, history unravels itself in the charming Old Town Albuquerque. A locus of the city's cultural, architectural and historic tenor, Old Town has been the focal point of community life since 1706. The winding alleys of this neighborhood are dotted with traditional houses awash in lovely Pueblo-Spanish architectural influences. This quaint quarter was laid out in the quintessential colonial way, and is home to a string of notable landmarks which attest to the quarter's historical and cultural importance, for example the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, the historic San Felipe de Neri Church and the Plaza, which is perhaps the cultural and communal nucleus of Old Town. Here, wrought iron and adobe bancos (benches) rest under the shade of the plaza, offering a respite from the usually balmy weather year round. Unique items from around the world, as well as those distinctively Southwestern are sold in an array of quirky shops and boutiques. Soaked in old-world charm, Old Town is a part of the city, which can never be forgotten.