ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque. It’s the name of the most populous city in the state of New Mexico, home to an estimated 560,300 people, but it hasn’t always been named or spelled that way.
In fact, the City of Albuquerque has technically had two names since it was founded in 1706 by Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdes, a native of Asturias in Spain, and a member of the Military Order of Santiago, according to New Mexico State Historian Rob Martinez. The two spellings are Alburquerque and Albuquerque.
Original name: La Villa de Alburquerque de San Francisco Javier del Bosque
The first recorded name for the area was La Villa de Alburquerque de San Francisco Javier del Bosque after the Duque de Alburquerque, the then Viceroy of New Spain.
Martinez said researchers don’t exactly know how villas were named, but it appears in this case, it may have had some religious connection…