Old Town Albuquerque is the picturesque historic district in the heart of New Mexico's largest city. Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdez founded Villa de Albuquerque in 1706 a few hundred yards from the Rio Grande, constructing the town around a traditional central plaza. The settlement was a stop on El Camino Real, the trading route that linked Mexico City to the northern territories.

Settlers built San Felipe de Neri Church the year of the town's founding, and the church endures as Albuquerque's most recognizable landmark. Albuquerqueans reconstructed the church at the end of the eighteenth century after a downpour collapsed the original structure. Its distinctive spires were added in 1861, and a year later, the Old Town witnessed a Civil War skirmish. Texas Confederate troops retreated along El Camino Real after the Battle of Glorieta Pass, and the cannons they abandoned after the battle are on display today in the Albuquerque Museum.

Known today as the crossroads of the Southwest, more than 150 shops, art galleries, wineries, and museums await visitors to Old Town. The district is a blend of Navajo and Latino culture, with paths and gardens interspersing the Pueblo-Spanish buildings, constructed from local materials in authentic Southwestern style. Every Sunday, the New Mexico Gunfighters Association stages Old West gunfights, a tradition of historic reenactment begun in the 1970s. Visitors can enjoy these shows and others staged around the Old Plaza.