Located on a plain along the banks of the Rio Grande River, at the base of the Sandia Mountains to the east. Albuquerque was officially founded in 1706 although the area has been populated and cultivated as far back as 2,000 B.C primarily by the Pueblo and Anasazi tribes. In 540, the first European explorers arrived in Albuquerque.

In 1846 the US claimed the territory when General Stephen Kearny established an army post.

Albuquerque became a supply center of the West and became the trade gate with Mexico. Albuquerque’s location on the old Chihuahua trail, an extension of the Santa Fe Trail, made it an ideal choice. In 1846 Albuquerque became a U.S. Army post and was briefly captured by the Confederate army during the Civil War.

In 1880 the arrival of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad it propelled the growth of Albuquerque, this solidified its position as an important distribution center. Albuquerque incorporated as a city in 1891.
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New Mexico became a U.S. state on January 6, 1912 as the 47th state. Native Americans have been living in New Mexico for some twenty thousand years. The Pueblo, Apache, Comanche, Navajo, and Ute peoples were in the New Mexico region when Spanish settlers arrived. Spain claimed the area in 1539 and built missions to teach the Indians Christianity.

In 1821, Mexico gained its independence from Spain, and New Mexico came under Mexican control. This same year U.S. traders opened the Santa Fe Trail, connecting Missouri with Santa Fe. In 1848, the United States won the Mexican War and New Mexico became a U.S. territory.
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