USA/NM: Socorro
The small town of Socorro is the central New Mexico actually goes back to 1598 when Spanish settlers came upon an Indian pueblo here in the middle of the desert and were friendly welcomed with food and water. They named the pueblo Socorro meaning “help” or “aid”. The Spanish established a catholic mission here – San Miguel de Socorro – which is considered to be the oldest catholic church in the USA. The old building got eventually destroyed when the Apache Indians ransacked the town and later the Spanish reconquered it. The new building was wrenched in 1831 and is standing in the center of the town – a beautiful adobo structure with two towers. The town center is also beautiful with monuments and colorful tiles depicting its long history – totally in the middle of nowhere but what a historic gem!
