We went to La Mesilla (little table) in the heart of Las Cruces. It is a very old section of town, which apparently was the original settlement here. It reminded me of the central area of Santa Fe, but on a smaller scale. There is a Zocolo (town square) in the center, and across the street from there is the Basilica de San Albino. It is a beautiful church which has a bell tower. At noon we heard it strike a Westminster chime, which was beautiful. Then it chimed the hour. Immediately following that, carillon bells played a hymn.
We shopped in the little gift shops until all the offerings began to look alike to us. We purchased some roasted, local pecans, a jar of Chipotle salsa and a pecan praline. Then we wandered the streets around the area and ended up at La Posta. This is a large, old, adobe building which, apparently, served as a kind of fortress. A sign on the corner of the building proclaims:
This building is the original La Posta. For more than a century and a half, these adobe walls have withstood the attack of elements and man; they have sheltered such personalities as Billy the Kid, Kit Carson General Douglas MacArthur, and Pancho Villa. Now Mesilla sleeps, but La Posta still offers its traditional hospitality to all.
La Posta.
There is a restaurant in La Posta that claims to be the oldest Mexican restaurant in the country, having been established in 1939. Since it had been recommended by locals, we decided to have lunch there. Well, it is easy to see why they have been in business for 77 years. The food was wonderful. The decor is charming and our server was as sweet as she could be and very helpful.
Not only that, but the girls are beautiful!
Jill enjoyed the La Posta Compuesta Salad
My choice was the Marinated Steak Fajita Salad. Don't miss this restaurant if you are in Las Cruces.
Here is the front door of the La Posta de La Mesilla restuarant.
According to the La Posta Restaurant website, the history of the building itself is as follows:
Earliest records indicate the La Posta Compound was originally constructed in the 1840's. Sam Bean and his brother Roy Bean, operated a freight and passenger service line to Pinos Altos from this building in the 1850's.
After the Civil War, The La Posta Compound became an important stop on the Butterfield Stagecoach Line. During the 1870's and 1880's, the Corn Exchange Hotel, one of the finest lodges in the Southwest, operated from the building. John Davis, the proprietor of the hotel, died in the late 1870's, however, his wife Augustina continued to operate the hotel, a restaurant and other businesses in the building until the early 1900's.
The references to Roy Bean and Billy the Kid above and the obvious enthusiasm of the locals for Billy the Kid (as evidenced in part by the local "Billy the Kid" gift shop) got me to wondering whether Roy Bean had sentenced Billy to hang. As far as I can tell, that was not the case, although both men were notorious in Southwestern history for their outrageous behavior. Billy, of course, was a gunfighter, and Bean was famous as a justice of the peace in Texas, where he was known as "Judge Roy Bean: the Law West of the Pecos." He was also famous for his unusual court decisions, such as this one:
In one case, an Irishman named Paddy O'Rourke shot a Chinese laborer. A mob of 200 angry Irishmen surrounded the courtroom and saloon and threatened to lynch Bean if O'Rourke was not freed. After looking through his law book, Bean ruled that "homicide was the killing of a human being; however, he could find no law against killing a Chinaman".[10] Bean dismissed the case.[10] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Bean)Whatever the case, it is fascinating to come face to face with history. I guess that's why we love to travel.
Tomorrow we will be on the road again, headed for Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Don't miss the next thrilling adventure!
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