2 Best Places to Shop in Old Mesilla, Southwestern New Mexico

The oldest artist co-op in the Las Cruces area, the Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery has a broad range of art by 30 juried artists.

High-quality Native American jewelry and crafts are sold at surprisingly good prices in the adobe shops of Old Mesilla Plaza if you have the patience to weed through multitudes of cheesy ceramic Native American dolls with feathered headdresses (not what the locals wore) and other various and sundry tourist tchotchkes. The al fresco Farmers Market offers homegrown produce such as watermelons and green chiles (in season), as well as handcrafted souvenirs and jewelry, on the plaza noon to 4 Sunday and 11 to 4 Friday year-round. In mid-afternoon on Sunday from September to early November, you can enjoy live mariachi music here, too.