Early history The area now known as Barelas was originally the site of an important river crossing on
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the main Spanish trade route through New Mexico. The crossing was described by
Zebulon Pike in 1807 as being "400 yards wide, but not more than three feet deep and excellent fording". A settlement was formally established there (on paper at least) by colonial governor
Diego de Peñalosa in 1662, though it remained largely unpopulated until the 19th century. The name
Barelas is thought to come from a local landowner named Pedro Varela (or Barela), who had a ranch in the area. Barelas in the late 1800s was a quiet agricultural community, with 309 residents listed in the 1870 Census and 350 in 1880. The village did see minor action during the
American Civil War, most notably during the
Battle of Albuquerque in April 1862. On that occasion,
Union troops in Barelas exchanged long-range artillery fire with a
Confederate position east of Albuquerque for several hours, with no casualties.
Boom years The
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway reached Albuquerque in 1880. In order to keep the route as straight as possible, however, the railroad planners chose to build the Albuquerque depot and some east of the actual town. This led to the immediate creation of a separate "New Town" adjacent to the depot and directly north of Barelas. Fueled by the presence of the massive
Santa Fe Railway Shops, Albuquerque's largest employer at the time, Barelas underwent a rapid transformation from quiet farming village to busy blue-collar neighborhood. By 1900 there were over 1,200 residents, many of whom worked for the railroad. Most of Barelas was incorporated into the City of Albuquerque in 1891, marking its end as a separate community. Barelas saw increased prosperity after 4th Street, one of the main arteries through the neighborhood, was designated as part of
U.S. Route 66 in 1926. The road was soon lined with filling stations, garages, and cafes catering to the steady stream of travelers passing through Barelas. The new east-west route was shorter, but the rerouting of the highway from 4th Street to
Central Avenue bypassed Barelas entirely. Traffic on 4th eroded further still when
Interstate 25 supplanted
U.S. 85 as Albuquerque's main north-south highway. To make matters worse, the railroad shops closed in 1970,
Renewal Barelas has experienced a gradual resurgence since the late 1980s as demand for housing near Downtown has increased. A major turning point came in 2000 with the opening of the
National Hispanic Cultural Center, a $50 million project that brought visitors and capital back into the neighborhood. The opening of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce and Barelas Job Opportunity Center in 2001 has also furthered economic development in Barelas. but has already fueled land speculation in Barelas, raising the possibility of
gentrification. In 1997, the commercial area along 4th Street was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places as the
Barelas-South Fourth Street Historic District. ==Education==