The Other Las Vegas: A Taste of the Old West in New Mexico

The Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico, can be found in the center of the city’s Old Town (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Isn’t that what they say? Well, what if we’re not talking about Sin City, but another town that just happens to share the same name? Does the rule still apply then? You may have thought there was only enough room for one Las Vegas in this world, but the truth, my friend, is this: there are actually six.

In addition to the Las Vegas you know and love in Nevada, there is also the city of Las Vegas in the Santa Bárbara department (see: province, state, etc.) of Honduras; the tiny seaside resort of Las Vegas in southern Uruguay; and two Spanish places that also bear the name, including a parish in the northern Corvera de Asturias municipality and the Comarca de Las Vegas near the capital, Madrid.

However, it is the yet-to-be-mentioned sixth Las Vegas that we’re about to truly concern ourselves with here. Found less than 600 miles east of its Nevadan cousin, Las Vegas, New Mexico, is actually the older of the two American cities. Established all the way back in 1835, New Mexico’s version of Sin City isn’t known for flashy casinos, barely-remembered nights of debauchery, or shotgun weddings; it’s calling card has much more to do with its historical ties to the Old American West.

That might not sound all that exciting upon first mention, but just think about it a little more and you’ll get there. We’re talking about murderers, robbers, thieves, gamblers, nonstop brawls, and more lawless behavior than one town’s meant to handle. We’re talking about outlaws like Jesse James, Doc Holliday, Hoodoo Brown, and Billy the Kid. And, on a slightly different note, we’re talking about locomotives, ranches, rodeos, cowboys, pie eating contests, barbecues, and balls.

Las Vegas’ story got underway back in the 1840s, when the town began to flourish as the penultimate stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The city was part of Mexico at the time, but it wasn’t long before those pesky, hegemonic, “mine! mine! mine!” Americans showed up and claimed all of New Mexico for themselves — you know, because of “manifest destiny” or some crap.

A year later, in 1847, the local Mexican and Pueblo peoples rose up during the Mexican-American War and tried fighting off the American occupiers in what became known as the Taos Revolt. A small part of the six-month affair included the Battle of Las Vegas, during which the rebels attempted to hold their own and keep the Americans from regaining control of the city. Unfortunately, they were forced to retreat after just 15 minutes of fighting. (The Taos Revolt at-large was also a failure, in case you were wondering.)

At the end of the Mexican-American War, New Mexico became a U.S. territory and remained as such until it was granted statehood in 1912. Prior to that, the railroad came to Las Vegas in 1880, allowing the city to grow. Expansion led to a “New Town” being established about one mile east of Las Vegas’ main plaza, which would eventually be combined with the Old Town.

The Castañeda Hotel, reopened in 2019 after closing in the late 1940s, can be found trackside near New Mexico Highlands University (Photo: The Santa Fe New Mexican)

Thanks largely to the railroad, the place was really booming around the turn of the century. The city had all the goods, according to the Wikipedias, including an electric street railway, an opera house, a Carnegie library, the Castañeda Hotel, and the New Mexico Normal School (which later became New Mexico Highlands University).

However, along with all of the businesses, development, and new residents came the infamous characters we were talking about earlier: Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Big Nose Kate, Rattlesnake Sam, and the like. Historian Kathy Weiser-Alexander tells us these shady characters became so prominent that the eastern part of the settlement “became utterly lawless.” Added fellow historian Ralph Emerson Twitchell: “Without exception, there was no town which harbored a more disreputable gang of desperadoes and outlaws than did Las Vegas.”

But okay! Let me stop with the history lessons right there, lest you be tempted to bash your head into the wall repeatedly, douse yourself in gasoline and light a match, and/or drive your 21st-century automobile over a cliff. We don’t need any of that. What we do need is a glimpse at what there is to do in present-day Las Vegas. The promotional folks would tell you the area has “all of the amenities of the big city with a small town experience", and while that assuredly gives you some idea of what you’d find there, let’s mention some specifics.

Specifically, you can walk around Las Vegas’ historic downtown district, which has served as the backdrop for movies like “Easy Rider” (1969) and “No Country for Old Men” (2007). You can visit the Santa Fe Trail Interpretive Center and learn all about Las Vegas’ heyday as a trading post on the Santa Fe Trail (if my history lesson above wasn’t lively enough for you, that is). If you’re into nature, you can check out Storrie Lake State Park, where you can take advantage of fishing, boating, and windsurfing; or the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge, which features nearly 14 square miles of marshes, woodlands, and grasslands, as well as several nature trails and a scenic eight-mile drive.

When it’s time to stuff your face, you might consider these options:

• The Skillet, an “immersive art, food and drink experience” housed in an historic downtown building;

• Charlie’s Bakery & Cafe, a laid-back spot serving Mexican and American fare (and winner of a 2020 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice award); and

• Bar Castañeda, one of two dining options found inside the historic Castañeda Hotel, featuring a full dinner menu and seasonal cocktails.

And when it comes to getting your beauty sleep, these accommodations are likely your best bets:

• the Plaza Hotel, a nearly-140-year-old gem that overlooks Old Town Plaza Park;

• the Castañeda Hotel, an historic hotel found alongside Amtrak’s Southwest Chief line that closed down in 1948 and was restored and reopened in 2019;

• Knights Inn Las Vegas, an affordable option found just off I-25; or

• any one of the fine offerings available on Airbnb.

-LTH