This colorful State Monument consists of the plaza in the village of
Mesilla, near Las Cruces, and the buildings nearby. The Monument
preserves an aspect of the Mexican Colonial culture and architecture
which flourished here in the early nineteenth century. The Gadsden
Purchase of 1853 was celebrated in the Mesilla Plaza and the famous
desperado, Billy the Kid, once stood trial here for his life. During the
Civil War, Mesilla was briefly the Confederate capitol of the Territory
of Arizona.