Algodones: Hotels and the History of Route 66

Algodones is a rural village in New Mexico’s Rio Grande Valley. Its history can be explored through La Angostura, the river crossing, and historic routes. If you’re looking for a hotel in Algodones, this look at the town can help you understand what makes it distinctive: the landscape, trade, and different forms of travel are closely tied to its history. The following points of interest connect the river landscape with the routes that have shaped the town over several centuries.

La Angostura and the Historic Crossing

At La Angostura, the Rio Grande Valley narrows. This bottleneck is also key to the history of the Camino Real: control of La Angostura was crucial to the security of trade along this Royal Road. The Camino Real ran north from Mexico City to Santa Fe; Algodones lies along this historic route.

However, the history of the Angostura crossing reaches further back. According to local tradition, a safe trade route was used there for more than a thousand years. Tribes on both sides of the river also used the crossing. Since the early 17th century, La Angostura was repeatedly the focus of fortifications.

Garrison, Trade, and Railroad

Algodones was founded as a military garrison in the early 18th century to protect wagon trains. The 18th-century settlement developed amid continued Spanish efforts to control the pass and nearby fords of the Rio Grande. In 1846, Algodones served as an army supply depot. By the 1880s, the town was an important trading center for cattle and sheep ranching; that same decade, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad built a stop there. The stop and the town’s trading role belong to the same decade; the supply depot, by contrast, points to an earlier military period.

Route 66 and Getting Around

The roads tell several chapters, too. In 1926, Route 66 and U.S. Highway 85 were routed through Algodones between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. A state-maintained section of Route 66 runs between Bernalillo and Algodones. Historic Route 66 continues through Algodones as NM-313. The historic La Angostura marker is on NM 313, at Route 66 mile marker 12.2.

Bell, Film, and Visitor Information

Another trace of the past is the bell known as the Old Algodones Bell, formerly called Maria Josefa. According to tradition, it was in Algodones’ parish church until the chapel collapsed; afterward, the bell was moved to a new church building. Parts of the film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs were also shot in Algodones, including the segment “Near Algodones.”

For regional trip planning, the Annual Feast Day of the Pueblo of San Felipe is also a specific date to note: it takes place every year on May 1. Visitors must park at Black Mesa Casino and take a shuttle into the village. Check visitor information before your trip, as access requirements may change.

Discover more destinations: Bernalillo, Ponderosa, Rio Rancho, Corrales, Placitas, Santa Ana Pueblo

See the broader travel overview: Sandoval.