Mesilla

Mesilla is its own town, older than Las Cruces, a few minutes southwest of the city. Its plaza, with the Basilica of San Albino at the north end and adobe buildings on every side, is a National Historic Landmark and one of the best-preserved plazas in New Mexico. The Gadsden Purchase was marked here in 1854, and Billy the Kid stood trial in a building that still faces the square.

Homes in and around Mesilla are of two kinds. Close to the plaza are historic adobes, some from the 1800s, on small lots along narrow streets. Around the town are properties on larger parcels among the pecan orchards and irrigated fields, from an acre to ten acres or more. The setting is green and shaded in a way the mesa neighborhoods are not.

The town protects its character. Building and remodeling in the historic district are subject to the town’s review, which is worth understanding before buying an older home there.

Prices range widely, from modest older homes to estates above $1 million. Mesilla has a small supply of homes, so what comes to market here is often unlike anything else for sale in the valley.

Homeowner associations are rare. On the larger parcels, irrigation rights, wells and septic are worth confirming.

The plaza’s restaurants and shops are part of daily life here, and Las Cruces and Interstate 10 are minutes away.