LPD Press & Rio Grande Books

For centuries, a strand of settlements was built along the Rio Grande by the ancient Pueblo peoples, many of which disappeared before and during the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. In the 1700s, when the Spanish returned, they built villages along the Rio Grande, not only what is now Old Town but many others. To bring to life the history of the North Valley more fully, an effort is made to examine this area and its small villages separately from a general history of Albuquerque. The North Valley provides a unique tapestry of Hispanic, Anglo, and other ethnic groups, rural and urban, historic and modern, old and new architectural styles, and a successful integration of traditional and modern ways of living. The two volumes are intended to appeal both to those readers who have a long history in Albuquerque’s North Valley and remember a previous time, and, also, those who do not remember the North Valley as it once was, but now appreciate its unique character.
The first volume presents an overview of the North Valley through the centuries, beginning with the traditional life of the Hispanic villages established in the 1700s. These villages, Los Griegos and Los Candelarias, exemplify the villages of the North Valley. Although both share a similar history with one another and other villages in the North Valley, their development and change over the centuries are different and unique in some respects. Short personal biographies of at least a few of the remarkable “ordinary” people who have lived in these villages over the centuries are included, as well as the prominent and wealthy.
The second volume chronicles the history of the village of Alameda and the villages of the Elena Gallegos Land Grant, including Los Ranchos. The modern village of Los Ranchos encompasses much of the North Valley today, and its incorporation as a village is unique in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. Some of the early villages within this area have disappeared, and the locations of others are only barely recognizable. The community of Alameda, separated from much of the Alameda Land Grant and Corrales west of the Rio Grande early in its history, is the entry point to the North Valley in the north and was established early in the history of the North Valley. Because much of history is biographical, a separate chapter is included on the lives of two wealthy families, the Armijos and the Yrisarris, the ricos of the North Valley.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Francelle Alexander is a native New Mexican, having grown up in Albuquerque, both the South Valley and the North Valley. She attended UNM where she earned her B.A. and M.A. After a career in the Albuquerque Public Schools, she lived and worked overseas. For almost ten years, she was able to travel and study villages in Asia and Europe. Upon returning from abroad, she began extensive research on the villages of Peralta and Los Pinos (now Bosque Farms).