La Cueva Mercantile, La Cueva,NM; July, 2009

La Cueva was established in 1851 by Vicente Romero who found the nearby Fort Union which provided both protection from the Apache and a market for his crops.

Legend has it that he named the village La Cueva because he lived in a nearby cave (Sp.: la cueva) while he was building his ranch house. He prospered and built a grist mill in the early 1860s.

Converted to black and white with Silver Efex Pro and applied texture.