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Albuquerque – Unlike the Pilgrims who settled Plymouth, the first residents of this New Mexico town didn’t sail into rocky shores fleeing religious persecution or political tyranny. They came on foot and horseback, to farm, to raise sheep. And many were born nearby.

So as Albuquerque kicked off its tricentennial last month- the 23rd city in the nation and one of the first Western cities to do so – it prepares to celebrate its relatively peaceful beginnings as well as its perceived propensity for tolerance and respect for others.

“It was a city born in diversity, and it pretty much remains that way,” says local historian Sherry Robinson, author of several books on the area. “This has to be the most tolerant city I’ve ever experienced.”

The first people in the Rio Grande Valley were Pueblo Indians and their ancestors, who left rock art and ancient villages behind when they fled the Conquistador explorers in the 1500s. But the people who founded the village of Albuquerque in the early 1700s were Spaniards, farmers who came down the Camino Real from Santa Fe and Bernalillo, looking for fertile land on which to raise their crops and flocks.

The present-day city of Albuquerque was founded in April 1706 when Gov. Francisco Cuervo y Valdez wrote a letter to the Duke of Alburquerque in Spain reporting that he had founded a villa along the banks of the Rio Grande. It was named after the duke (although the first “r” later was dropped).

Santa Fe, nearly 100 years older, is the state capital, but Albuquerque is the state’s largest city, with 500,000 residents.

When Mexico broke with Spain in 1821, Albuquerque became Mexican territory. In 1848, it became U.S. territory. Soon, Italian and Asian railroad workers, buffalo soldiers and Europeans came seeking to start new businesses and new lives on the banks of the Rio Grande.

Today, visitors to the city can find many remnants of its history in the museums, historic sites, public art and markets. And going to Albuquerque between now and fall 2006 will be like attending an 18-month-long fiesta with art, dance and music.

The city’s more contemporary history – tied to computers, atomic and solar energy and hot-air balloons – also will be honored. Next April 23 will be the big birthday bash, with a giant cake, a parade representing the city’s various eras and cultures, a cattle drive and the city’s signature hot-air balloons.

“This is going to be some party,” says tricentennial events organizer Jerry Geist.

Anyone who hasn’t visited Albuquerque in a few years also may be startled at the dramatic renovation of its downtown.

After all, who doesn’t want to look good for his 300th birthday party?

Linda DuVal is a freelance writer living in Colorado Springs.

A short history of Albuquerque

Here are some historical facts collected by Albuquerque author and historian Sherry Robinson for the city’s tricentennial.