Old Town Plaza, Albuquerque, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

Old Town Plaza is the historic central square of Albuquerque, New Mexico, laid out when the Spanish founded the town in 1706. It is ringed by adobe buildings and anchored by the church of San Felipe de Neri, and it remains the best place in the city to feel its colonial beginnings.

The story behind it

Albuquerque was founded in 1706 by Spanish Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdés, who chose a spot beside the Rio Grande. The river offered fresh water, farmland and a natural place to trade, and Native American pueblos had already lived along it for centuries. The plaza grew up as the town's centre, the open ground around which homes, shops and the church were gathered.

The church on the north side has its own story. The first San Felipe de Neri was built in 1706, but it collapsed around the winter of 1792 to 1793. The present church was raised to replace it in 1793, with thick adobe walls laid out in the shape of a cross. Its pointed twin bell towers and Victorian touches were added later in the nineteenth century, which is why an old earthen church wears such a different face from the buildings around it.

What to look for

• The twin-towered facade of San Felipe de Neri on the north side of the plaza, where the later pointed towers contrast with the plain earthen walls.
• The thick adobe construction of the church and neighbouring buildings, with their soft, rounded edges and flat rooflines.
• The open layout of the plaza itself, a square that still works as a meeting place just as it did when the town was young.
• The shaded walkways and courtyards that lead off the square, where you can see how the old town was fitted around its centre.

Tips for your visit

• Give the plaza and church 30 to 45 minutes, or longer if you want to wander the side courtyards and browse the shops.
• Morning and early evening are the most pleasant times, with softer light on the adobe and fewer crowds.
• San Felipe de Neri is a working parish church, so check current opening hours and be quiet during services.
• The Albuquerque Museum and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science are within walking distance, so the plaza fits well into a longer day.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Albuquerque is a good way to take in the plaza if you like a mystery with your sightseeing. You reach the square on foot as one stop on a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Albuquerque Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. turns the walk into a detective game. You pass the plaza as part of a route through the surrounding streets, hear the story of each stop as you get there, and work out a puzzle in front of what you are looking at. One ticket covers the whole group.

Kid Quest: Solve the case of the lost senses in Albuquerque suits families with younger explorers. Children walk between stops, learn about each place as the app introduces it, and solve a puzzle on the spot, which keeps them looking closely at the buildings. One ticket covers the whole group.