Corrales

For most of its history Corrales was a district rather than a town. The colonial record of 1762 calls it Santa Rosalía de Corrales, yet it had no post office of its own until 1966, and an Albuquerque newspaper historian wrote as late as 1955 that there was no village or town by that name at all. What made it one was the fear of being swallowed: with Albuquerque and Rio Rancho growing on either side, residents incorporated it as a village in 1971 to keep their own government and its farmland.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Corrales Population 2,791 - Elevation 5,097 Spanish colonization of this re- gion, once the location of many Tiwa Indian pueblos, began in the 17th century. Corrales is named for the extensive corrals built here by Juan González, founder of Alameda. In the 18th century this rich farming area was sub- ject to Comanche attacks, and was raided by Navajos as late as 1851.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Petroglyph National Monument — 9.1 mi
  Some 24,000 images pecked into the dark basalt of Albuquerque's West Mesa, protected in 1990 and then crossed by a city boulevard.

More markers nearby

• Iglesia de San Ysidro — 1.0 mi
• Alameda — 1.0 mi
• Tiguex Province — 3.4 mi
• Dulcelina Salce Curtis (1904-1995) — 3.6 mi