Placitas, Lincoln County, New Mexico

Placitas, also known as La Placita[2] and Las Placitas del Rio Bonito,[3] in Lincoln County, New Mexico[4] is a now abandoned village along the frontier between the New Mexico Territory and Confederate Arizona that was the site of the Battle of Placito, between Apache and native New Mexicans aided by Confederate soldiers from Fort Stanton, ten miles away to the north. The village was originally called La Placita del Rio Bonito (The Place by the Pretty River), Placitas is now known as Lincoln. The village has historical ties to Billy the Kid.[5][6]

The Torréon, in Placitas, a rock fort tower where settlers hid during skirmishes with the local Indigenous people. It was built by the Miranda family and Enrico Trujillo.[1]

The area was originally inhabited by local Indigeous peoples, the Mogollon, later the Piros people, followed by the Mescalero Apache. In the 1850s, the village was established by Native New Mexican settlers from the North who spoke Spanish. The Torréon tower was one of the first structures built in the village as a defensive fortification.[7][1]

Placitas is located at 33°29′31″N 105°23′02″W.

References
  1. Cozzens, Gary. "They Built the Torreón: The Miranda Family and Enrique Trujillo of La Placita del Rio Bonito". Academia.edu. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  2. Stanley, John (9 October 2019). "Billy the Kid's Legendary La Placita". True West Magazine. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  3. "Day Tripping Lincoln and Fort Stanton". New Mexico Culture. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  4. "Pioneer Story: Mrs. Lorencita Miranda, Lincoln, New Mexico". Library of Congress. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  5. Stallings, Dianne L (26 July 2018). "Ride into mayhem with Billy the Kid at Old Lincoln Days Aug. 3-5". Ruidoso News. Gannett. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  6. "Lincoln Historic Site". New Mexico Historic Sites. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  7. "History". New Mexico Historic Sites. Retrieved 15 June 2022.


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