The News — The Secrets — The History!
Friday, September 29th, 2006
Pecan trees are irrigated by flooding, which is the only practical way to get water to the roots of the trees. Flood irrigation may appear wasteful, but it actually encourages deep root growth, which in turn reduces the amount of irrigation water required by the crop.
Tags: Flood Irrigation, Pecans
Wednesday, September 27th, 2006
If you’re looking for a place without traffic jams, where life is still delightful, consider these tree-lined Mesilla lanes:
Tag: Mesilla, Traffic
Tuesday, September 26th, 2006
Cotton is the number one crop around Mesilla. Here’s the Organ Mountains viewed over a cotton field just north of Mesilla:
Mesilla grows excellent chiles. Here’s the Organ Mountains viewed over a chile field just south of Mesilla:
Here’s the Organ Mountains viewed over a corn crop:
And finally, here’s the Organ Mountains viewed over a cabbage crop:
Sunday, September 24th, 2006
One sign, two sides.
Welcome to Mesilla.
Thanks for Visiting Mesilla. Adios.
Tags: Mesilla Sign
Thursday, September 21st, 2006
The Whole Enchilada Fiesta is held annually “next door” in Las Cruces. It’s a huge area event that typically attracts 50,000 or more visitors.
The Festival begins Friday, September 22, and runs for 3 days.
The location is the Meersheidt/Hadley Sports Complex in Las Cruces. Here’s a map of the location:
The events include food, live entertainment, pet parade, carnival, motorcycle and car show, and the making of the world’s largest enchilada.
The web site provides full details and times.
Tags: Whole Enchilada Fiesta, Map, Events
Tuesday, September 19th, 2006
If you look east from Mesilla, you can see the Organ Mountains. The highest peak in the range is 8,990 feet.
Here’s a view of the Organ Mountains from the north end of Mesilla, across an alfalfa field.
Tags: Organ Mountains Viewed From Mesilla
Monday, September 18th, 2006
The October issue of Sunset magazine recommends Mesilla as a top getaway location for a weekend trip.
The article in the magazine covers many of the obvious things to do in Mesilla, including the restaurants and shops.
Tags: Sunset Magazine, Travel Getaway
Saturday, September 16th, 2006
There are 18,000+ acres of pecans in this county (Doña Ana).
How many trees is that?
I don’t know, but you can get some idea of the miles and miles of trees from these satellite photos of pecan groves just south of Mesilla.
In a mature grove, trees are spaced about 30 feet apart, resulting in about 48 trees per acre.
The average yield for a pecan grove is about 600 pounds an acre.
This area produces higher than average yields, but most importantly, the quality of pecans grown here is unmatched anywhere else. High quality pecans require cold in the winter and heat in the summer, but not too cold or too hot. The climate here is just right for pecans.
Most growers in this area do not use chemical insecticides to control pests — instead, growers use natural predators like ladybugs and lacewing flies.
New Mexico Pecan Growers Association
Tags: Pecan Quality, Yield
Wednesday, September 13th, 2006
Yesterday afternoon, several miles south of Mesilla, I watched the last wall of an adobe structure pulled down. There were several good reasons the old home had to be demolished, including public safety.
Here’s the wall about to go:
I spoke with the owner, who told me the structure was not that old, having been built about 1950.
How do you date adobe? Here’s one way: 
Notice that the mortar used between the adobe bricks is cement. That is a practice that began in the late 1940s and largely defeats the advantages of adobe, because cement is an excellent conductor of heat. An adobe structure that uses cement mortar instead of the traditional mud will be hotter in the summer and cooler in the winter.
Here’s the wall going down:
Tags: Adobe Wall
Saturday, September 9th, 2006
This is believed to be the oldest brick building in New Mexico. It sits at the southwest corner of Mesilla plaza. The sign on the front wall gives a quick history of the building.
“This is the oldest documented brick building in New Mexico.
Augustin Maurin (of French descent) initiated construction in 1860 using burned brick from his own kiln. He was murdered by robbers in his adjoining apartment in 1866.
The heir, Cesar Maurin, came here from France to claim the property. He died of natural causes in 1868.
Frenchman Pedro Duhalde, a former Mesilla saloonkeeper, moved in and was himself murdered by robbers.
Now owned by Tiburcio Frietze, after having been used as a general store, residence, saloon and town hall, the building remains in good condition.
Original, hand-hewn vigas, supporting a low, irregular ceiling, join with the old brickwork in creating a fitting background for the gift items displayed.
The Dona Ana Historical Society finds this building worthy of preservation and commends Mr. Frietze for his part in its care.”
