A Brief History of the Albuquerque Old Town Patio Market
The Old Town Albuquerque Patio Market was the site of the homestead of Juan Nepomuceno Armijo (1788-1880), part of an influential NM dynasty that first settled in the Rio Grande valley in 1695. The family were primarily sheep ranchers and farmers.
Juan willed the property to his son Ambrosio (1817-1882). Ambrosio built a new home and store on the current corner of what is currently San Felipe and South Plaza. Up until about 1880, Old Town was mostly homes of affluent families but had also been building a reputation as an area of commerce along the Santa Fe Trail. The fortunes of Old Town changed with the arrival of the railroad to Albuquerque about 1880. The railroad moved the center of commerce to “New Town” (currently downtown Albuquerque) and, eventually, the Armijo descendants drifted away from Old Town. Old Town went through a rough spell and the Casa de Armijo property fell into disrepair. It was eventually purchased at a tax auction in the early 1930’s by Nelda Sewell.
About this time, Old Town was regaining attention of artists and shop owners as an area of commerce. Parts of the sprawling Casa de Armijo was restored in 1935 and used as a restaurant. The Patio Market area was a gated ‘zaguan’ (passage to a courtyard). In the 1950’s more of the property, including the Patio Market, was restored with the help from the UNM School of Architecture. The architects copied the original territorial and pueblo style and created a wishing well over the original Armijo well.
Want to learn more? Visit The Albuquerque Museum (right here in Old Town).
