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History · Tortugas

Tortugas dates to 1852, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Tortugas was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 6 buildings. Below: maps from 1941 on.

1852founded
1on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Tortugas began

When was Tortugas founded?

1852

Tortugas dates its founding to 1852 (Wikipedia’s history).

2020 census: 579174 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓

What stands out about Tortugas’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Tortugas are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tortugas’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tortugas’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Tortugas came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tortugas.

Read it all →

Tortugas was founded in 1852. Tortugas Pueblo, as it is commonly referred to as, was the area of land that was granted to tribal members of the Piro, Manso, and Tiwa tribe in Las Cruces. Originally Tortugas was made up of two Native villages, the Pueblo of Guadalupe and the Pueblo of San Juan de Guadalupe. Many of the people living in Tortugas today are members and descendants of the tribe, as well as descendants of various other tribes in the surrounding area including Jumanos, Sumas, Apaches, Conchos, and Rarámuri. Despite being considered extinct, Manso Indians are part of the population that make up members of the Tortugas community. The area of land in present-day Las Cruces down the Rio Grande into Juarez, Mexico was the territory of the Manso people before the Spanish came through and before other tribes began moving in. The Tiwa (or Tigua) from Isleta Pueblo and Piro people from…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Tortugas, decade by decade

Today1 recent
A distant view of Tortugas, New Mexico, a community at the base of the Organ Mountain Range below Las Cruces2021A distant view of Tortugas, New Mexico, a community a…
On the map

Tortugas on the map, 1941 to 1996

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tortugas. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Tortugas on the 1941 USGS mapTortugas on the 1996 USGS map1941Las Cruces sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Tortugas.

On the National Register

1 listing protects 6 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
6
each building in a district counts
first listed
2017
Tortugas Pueblo Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Tortugas Pueblo Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Districts
All 1 listings
Tortugas Pueblo Fiesta of Our Lady of GuadalupeDistrict · listed 2017

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Las Cruces11 historic placesB+

Questions about Tortugas’ history

What year was Tortugas founded?

In 1852, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town.

What is on the National Register in Tortugas?

One place: the Tortugas Pueblo Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe (listed 2017).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.