Abiquiu

This tiny, very traditional Hispanic village was originally home to freed genizaros, indigenous and mixed-blood slaves who served as house servants, shepherds, and other key roles in Spanish, Mexican, and American households well into the 1880s. Many descendants of original families still live in the area, although since the late 1980s Abiquiú and its surrounding countryside have become a nesting ground for those fleeing big-city life, among them actresses Marsha Mason and Shirley MacLaine. Abiquiú—along with parts of the nearby Española Valley—is also a hotbed of organic farming, with many of the operations here selling their goods at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market and to restaurants throughout the Rio Grande Valley.