Los Lunas

by Burr, Baldwin G.

• ISBN13: 9780738595344
• ISBN10: 0738595349
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-06-04
• Publisher: Arcadia Pub

Summary

Don Felix Candelaria received the San Clemente Land Grant from the Spanish Royal Government in 1716. The land was later claimed by Don Antonio José Luna, whose ancestors arrived in the early 18th century. Don Antonio's son Solomon Luna was instrumental in New Mexico's quest for statehood and was singularly influential in the creation of the New Mexico State Constitution. Ranching and farming were major commercial activities in Los Lunas, and Solomon Luna and his nephew Eduardo Otero were two of the largest sheep ranchers in the United States. Maximiliano Luna served in the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War. German-born merchants, the Huning and Neustadt families brought Anglo goods and culture to Los Lunas in the 1860s. From a population of 1,500 in 1986, Los Lunas has grown to more than 15,000 people today, making it the second fastest-growing community in New Mexico.

Author Biography

Baldwin G. Burr serves as photograph archivist and oral historian for the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts. He is president of the Valencia Country Historical Society. Burr has compiled more than 180 photographs from collections at the Museum of New Mexico, the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico, the Valencia Country Historical Society, and the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts to tell the story of Los Lunas and the surrounding area.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. 6
Introduction	p. 7
Founders	p. 9
Ranching and Agriculture	p. 23
Merchants	p. 41
Getting Around	p. 59
Building Los Lunas	p. 73
Government and Services	p. 85
Religious Life	p. 99
Education, Sports, and Recreation	p. 113
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