History of the Village
Lying at the foot of Sandia Peak between pueblos to its north and south, the historic Village of Placitas has maintained its unique character through many decades. Even before its original twenty-one founding families received their land grant from the Spanish crown in 1767, native peoples had inhabited this land. Sandia Cave and the surrounding area contain historic remains from nearly every settlement period of the past ten thousand years. The ruins of San Jose de las Huertas -- the original “las Placitas,” a mile north of today’s Village -- is now an Archaeological Conservancy site and is considered to be the last undisturbed Hispanic colonial site in New Mexico to be well preserved.
Along the sleepy lanes of the Village can be found decades of southwest history in the true adobe houses, the San Antonio de Padua Mission, the Las Placitas Presbyterian Church and the ditches of the Las Acequias de Placitas which snake across the hillsides. Many of today’s villagers, descendants of the grantees, carry on the traditions of their ancestors while adjusting to today’s new influences.
