In 1667, Captain Luis López was alcalde mayor (mayor) of the Piro Pueblo of Senecú. It appears that he had a hacienda on the east bank of the Rio Grande. During the 18th century, the estancia was mentioned in the journals of a few travellers, though it had been abandoned after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The village of Luis Lopez appears to have been founded by the early to mid 1830s. At that time, it was located on the west bank of the Rio Grande, just east of its present-day site.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
