Southwestern New Mexico: Places to Explore

Hatch bills itself the Chile Capital of the World. And although chiles are grown elsewhere in the state—and some might argue taste just as good—Hatch is still considered the source for the headily... Read more

The Mesilla Valley has been populated for centuries. The Spanish passed through the region first in 1598 and continued to use the route to reach the northern territories around Santa Fe. Though the Spanish... Read more

Magdalena, population 300, enjoyed its heyday about a hundred years ago as a raucous town of miners and cowboys. It was once the biggest livestock shipping point west of Chicago. The Atchison, Topeka &... Read more

Historians disagree about the origins of Mesilla (called both Mesilla and Old Mesilla), which in Spanish means "Little Table." Some say the town occupies the exact spot that Don Juan de Oñate declared... Read more

During the 1930s and '40s, it was said that the best pie in New Mexico was served at a little café in Pie Town, a homesteading community just west of the Continental Divide. Cowboys on cattle drives... Read more

Quemado (pronounced kay-ma-doh) means "burnt" in Spanish, and the town is supposedly named for a legendary Apache chief who burned his hand in a campfire. The bustling village, which contains several motels... Read more

Silver City began as a tough and lawless mining camp in 1870, and struggled for a long time to become a more respectable—and permanent—settlement. Henry McCarty spent part of his boyhood here... Read more

The town of Socorro, population about 9,000, traces its roots back to the earliest Spanish expeditions into New Mexico when explorer Juan de Oñate established a permanent settlement along the Rio... Read more

Yes, Truth or Consequences really did get its name from the game show of the same name. The show's producer, Ralph Edwards, suggested that a town adopt the name to honor the production's 10th anniversary... Read more