Mesilla Plaza, the heart of Old Mesilla, a small Mexican town just outside Las Cruces that never fully adopted the trappings of the United States. San Albino Church is at the top of the square.


Walking counter-clockwise around the plaza from the church. What's now a gift shop is the courthouse that convicted and hung Billy the Kid in 1881. Built in 1850, this building was also briefly the capitol building of Confederate Arizona, a paper territory that the Rebs were never strong enough to wrest from the Union. It doesn't much resemble either a Capitol or a courthouse.


As far as I can tell, La Posta is the only restaurant in Mesilla. Given the Mexican nature of the town and being in New Mexico (drop the "New" when referring to the state's cuisine), it is absolutely worth eating at. It's more than a meal - it's a dining experience, as the unassuming building somehow expands into an indoor village with a multi-story tree and simulated open-air market. There are even rainforest elements throughout the building, such as these handsome critters you can talk to while you wait in the lobby. If you've ever heard of Rainforest Cafe, this is what they wish they could be.


Looking east at the Organ Mountains.

Head east to the Organ Mountains
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