Mesilla is a small town and agricultural community of just over 2000 inhabitants adjacent to Las Cruces, NM. The town was first settled in the 1840s when the area was still part of Mexico. After the Gadsen Purchase in 1854, which was signed in Mesilla, the community became part of the United States and the territory of New Mexico. Today, while its population is diverse, Mesilla retains its strong Mexican heritage and many of its residents are descendants of the early settlers from Mexico. In New Mexico, while not absent, ethnic divisiveness and anti-immigrant sentiment are much less common than in the neighboring states of Texas and Arizona.

Each year a number of festivals are held in the town plaza including celebrations of Cinco de Mayo, Mexican independence from Spain (1821), Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Mariachi Sundays on the Plaza, and a Christmas celebration with luminarias.

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The town of Mesilla's official community web site: http://www.oldmesilla.org/index.html