The origins of Albuquerque's strange name are as fascinating as its history. You could be forgiven for thinking that it's a Native American place name or a word that describes some feature of the surrounding landscape. However, it was named after Francisco, Duke of Alburquerque, who, in one surviving portrait, had an incredible moustache. Alburquerque (with the extra 'r') is close to the Portuguese border in Spain and was a Moorish colony in the 8th century.
Looking into the meaning of the name, it becomes clear that Latin and Arabic have some similarities - the Latin source would appear to come from albus quercus (white oak), and the Arabic from Abu al-Qurq (father of the oak). The border town in Spain was - and still is - a major player in the Spanish cork industry, with coats of arms depicting a white cork oak.
Albuquerque Old Town doesn't look much different today from when it was built in the 18th century. The town was founded in 1706, and the San Felipe de Neri Church, dating from 1793, is the oldest building in the city. The buildings have a particularly Spanish/Arabic flavour, with flat roofs and covered porches. The Old Town area is still home to many of the descendants of the town founders.
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As with many other towns and cities we've reached so far, the real founder of Tucumcari, New Mexico, was the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, which built a construction camp in what is now the town in 1901. Initially called Ragtown, the camp's reputation for lawlessness quickly earned it the popular name of Six Shooter Siding, with the official name - Douglas - hardly used. By 1908, the settlement had settled a little, taking its second and permanent official name, Tucumcari, after a nearby mountain. Although it's unknown where the mountain got its name, it's very similar to the Comanche word for 'ambush'.
The town might be 'run down' according to tourist reviews, but the Dinosaur Museum is something of a hit. Opened to the public in 2000, the Mesalands Community College Dinosaur Museum has around 14,000 visitors each year from around the world. The exhibits are a mixture of fossil findings, bronze skeletons, replica dinosaurs and other animals, with the bronzes made onsite in the college's foundry.
Concentrating on the Mesozoic Period - the 'Age of Dinosaurs' - the museum prides itself on its children's activity area and that most exhibits are touchable. Pride of place - and sadly not touchable - is given to the Torvosaurus skeleton, a relative of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. This rare skeleton presented the small museum with a first; they were the only museum in the world with one on display.
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