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| Mesquite Historic District, Las Cruces, New Mexico |
A friend and I explored some Las Cruces neighborhoods one day, and we passed into the historic Mesquite District.
The shrine above drew my eye, and we pulled over so I could get a better look.
It was on a corner lot with two houses, and to get a decent picture I'd have to go into the yard, which meant the polite thing to do was to knock on the door and ask permission. Glad I did, because a young guy - Patrick - not only gave me permission to take pictures, but told me a little about his grandfather, now deceased.
Patrick's grandfather built one of the houses on the lot, and Patrick thinks he commissioned the shrine in the photo above. It appears to be a representation of the second St. Genevieve Catholic Church, which was demolished in the 1960s.
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| St. Genevieve Catholic Church, Las Cruces, New Mexico. Credit: Family Old Photos |
The outbuilding below originally did service as a cistern or pumphouse - there was an irrigation system that fed his grandfather's pecan grove, which adjoined the current property.
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| Mesquite Historic District, Las Cruces, New Mexico |
Patrick's grandfather had a grocery wagon that he drove up and down the streets in the Mesquite district, selling produce.
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| Mesquite Historic District, Las Cruces, New Mexico |
There was another shrine on the property, but Patrick didn't know its history. Inside was evidence of many prayers being sent up via burning candles.
Patrick lives in the family homestead with his father and brothers.
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