La Noria
Tucked into the edge of the San Rafael Valley, La Noria's first European visitor was Friar Marcos de Niza, who passed through on his expedition to Cibola. In the 336 years since then, La Noria has seen far more sinners than saints. It's impossible to know exactly when La Noria was founded, but it almost certainly enjoyed a couple hundred years of solitude before the Gadsden Purchase moved the border and placed La Noria just across in the United States. This newfound status as a border town has greatly altered the demographics and commercial makeup of the community. There is a flour mill and a butcher with a large smokehouse who can process beef into machaca for transport into interior Mexico. La Noria also boasts a fourteen-room boarding house, two stores, two barbers, three saloons, a livery stable, and the San Judas Catholic church. The population is roughly two-thirds Mexican and one-third Anglo. The latter live on the west side of town, where there is a barber, store, and saloon, all of which cater to that market. The east side is inhabited by those of Mexican heritage. It also has a barber, store, and saloon. The center of the town has the mill, butcher, boarding house, stable, and church. The third saloon, called The Double Eagle, is also located there. La Noria has a reputation for being a very rough town that is almost overrun by the smugglers, cattle rustlers, and bandits who pass through. There are no law enforcement officers and the troops from Fort Buchanan rarely make an appearance.