Puerto de Luna, New Mexico

Puerto de Luna is a census-designated place (CDP) in Guadalupe County, New Mexico, United States. It lies approximately ​9 1⁄2 miles (15.3 km) south-southeast of Santa Rosa on New Mexico State Road 91 and on the bank of the Pecos River. The community is located west of, but not within, the Llano Estacado of Eastern New Mexico and West Texas.

Puerto de Luna, New Mexico
Census-designated place
Puerto de Luna
Puerto de Luna
Coordinates: 34°49′57″N 104°37′23″W
CountryUnited States
StateNew Mexico
CountyGuadalupe
Area
 • Total14.17 sq mi (36.7 km2)
 • Land14.17 sq mi (36.7 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation
4,495 ft (1,370 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total141
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (DST)
ZIP code
88435
Area code(s)575

The population was 141 at the 2010 census.[1]

History

The site is reputed to have been visited by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, who is believed to have camped here in 1541, on his way east in search of Quivira.

The first recorded permanent settlement was in 1863, when six Hispanic families built a dike on the Pecos to divert water for irrigation, and began land cultivation. A post office was established in 1873. A notable settler was Padre Polaco, a.k.a. Alexander Grzelachowski, who originally came to New Mexico at age 27 with Archbishop Lamy, and settled in Puerto de Luna in 1874, opening up the mercantile store. In 1891, he donated the land for the county courthouse. and the community became the county seat of Guadalupe County. The community was, however, overtaken by Santa Rosa when the railroad arrived there, and went into decline shortly after. The county seat was moved to Santa Rosa in 1903.

Billy the Kid reportedly ate his last Christmas Eve dinner here in 1880, while being transported to trial in Las Vegas in the custody of Pat Garrett.[2]

The author Rudolfo Anaya references Puerto De Luna in his autobiographical novel Bless Me, Ultima.

The author Calvin Rutstrum bought, renovated and lived in a house here in the 1960s. His book Greenhorns in the Southwest (University of New Mexico Press, 1972) is a semi-autobiographical account of that period.

The roofless shell of the county courthouse remains the largest edifice.

Etymology

Legend has it that Coronado gave the name to the spot where he camped, having seen the rising full moon through a narrow gap in the hills east of the site (English: Gateway of the Moon).

An alternative, more practical name origin refers to the Luna family, who lived at the mouth of Puerto Creek in the 1860s.

Local residents often refer casually to the community as PDL.

References
  1. "Puerto De Luna, NM Population - Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts". CensusViewer. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  2. "Puerto de Luna, Guadalupe County | Visitor's Guide to Northeast New Mexico - Civil War, Route 66, Maps, Recreation, Events". Nenewmexico.com. Retrieved 2012-11-24.



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