Tour of Corrales - Welcome Mystery Cache

While the cache location is being repaired, if you send me a picture of yourself and your gps in front of the sign at the coordinates, I will then send you the final coordinates to this cache. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience while they replace the nearby guard rail.

Corrales is pretty cache-deficient, so I have developed a series of Corrales caches, meant to give people a tour of this pretty little village that I now call home!

A brief history: Corrales, the Spanish word for corrals, was home to the Tiguex Indians for centuries before Spanish explorers laid claim to the region around 1540. Two unexcavated pueblo ruins exist in the village, and many artifacts have been discovered in people’s backyards. The pueblos were abandoned by the late 1600s when the Spanish settled permanently in New Mexico. In 1710, a grant of the Alameda lands was given to a soldier in the Spanish army. There isn’t much recorded about Corrales during the first 150 years of Spanish occupation since it was not on the major trade routes along the river from Santa Fe. In the 1860’s, European farmers from Italy and France began to settle in the Corrales valley. By 1900 Corrales was known for its vineyards and the making of wine, much of it by French and Italian families. By the late 1930s, most of the vineyards were gone, replaced by acres of orchards, pastures and cornfields. Several of these families continue to farm in Corrales today. In the 1930s and 1940s the land was drained and two new irrigation ditches were added to the Corrales system. Many of the still productive orchards in the village were planted on the newly reclaimed lands. With the construction of a new bridge after World War II, Corrales became easier to reach and attracted a share of the population boom in Albuquerque of this time. Corrales became known for a haven for artists and other free sprits. Though surrounded by suburban growth, Corrales residents continue to enjoy the rural character of the historic village. The Corrales business district (which I jokingly call “downtown Corrales”) has a great assortment of locally owned specialty shops, galleries and restaurants. Many talented artists and craftsmen live in Corrales. A famous restaurant is located one of the original buildings in Corrales – this building dates back 300 years and has gone through many reincarnations! (fortunately, the food is MUCH fresher than that!) You can find all sorts of different animals and crops as you wander through the village. Keep an eye out for many types of apples, grapes, and pecans as well as goats, chickens, emus, turkeys, pheasants, cows and of course lots and lots of horses! There is wildlife around as well!