“Even the New York Times agreed that our Albuquerque Mezcla de Culturas walking tour is the best way to get to know Old Town.”
Mezcla de Culturas is Spanish for “the mix of cultures” and this immersive and enchanting two-hour walking tour celebrates the mixture of influences and cultures that make up the heart of Albuquerque’s 18th Century Historic Old Town. This tour is a shared journey where guests get a glimpse into Albuquerque’s past and still living history. During your walk, our discussion will focus on how Albuquerque has grown over the last three hundred years and bloomed into the city it is today.
Our guests begin the tour at Hotel Albuquerque, which is located on what was once the farmland that supported the Villa de Alburquerque (that’s not a typo, Albuquerque was originally spelled with an extra “r”). You will learn how the founding city was dedicated to the Viceroy of New Spain, the 10th Duke of Alburquerque: Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva. You will see the first public school in Albuquerque that was so pioneering in the late 1880’s and accepted young girls into the classroom. You will visit sites like Albuquerque’s oldest home, the Albuquerque Museum Sculpture Gardens and the San Felipe de Neri Parish which opened the year of the city’s founding, in 1706; and with a few pauses for rebuilds and renovations, has continually maintained a presence in Old Town Plaza.
Next, you’ll visit the exciting Sawmill District. Originally occupied by the American Lumber Company, the Sawmill District is being re-envisioned and redeveloped into a vibrant and eclectic neighborhood. An up and coming area with loft-style housing, artist studios and mixed-use residential and commercial buildings; the new Sawmill District celebrates its industrial roots and attracts entrepreneurial thinking. Thereby, mixing an innovative trend toward urban living with New Mexico’s rich industrial past. Our tour will conclude at Sawmill Market.
On the Mezcla de Culturas tour, you’ll see the living history and mix of cultural traditions through the repurposing of old buildings invigorated with new life as well as celebrate the refined aged character of buildings that have existed here since the early 1700s. If you want to experience this interaction of cultures, art, architecture and history, then Albuquerque is the place and this tour is for you!
