History on Mesilla Plaza

The Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site has been open less than a year and has already received national recognition.

In June, New Mexico Historic Sites was selected as a 2026 Award of Excellence winner by the American Association for State and Local History. NMHS was chosen for the award in recognition of the official opening of the Taylor-Mesilla site last November. The site, located on the historic Mesilla Plaza, has a long and distinguished history, and a legacy that involves the Taylor family, whose contributions have impacted New Mexico and the Southwest.

“The Taylor-Mesilla Site is the crown jewel in the historic Mesilla Plaza and the borderlands,” said Heather Pollard, the immediate past president of the nonprofit Friends of TMHS Board of Directors. “It has already become a destination for cultural tourism.”

TMHS is the southernmost of eight historic sites managed by NMHS, which is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. The site not only preserves the historic Taylor home, but also the family’s vast collection of New Mexican, Spanish Colonial and Mexican artwork; furniture, silver and tin, pottery and much more. There are even live turtles on site that have lived there for years and were the favorites of the Taylor children as they grew up and are now beloved by the family’s grandchildren.

J. Paul and Mary Daniels Taylor bought the sprawling home in 1953 and raised seven children there. The family donated the site to NMDCA in 2003.

 “The Taylors’ gift of their home will keep local history and culture alive and meaningful for the children of our community now and for generations to come,” said Bob Wofford, who succeeded Pollard as the Friends Board president on July 1.

TMHS, boasting authentic traditional adobe construction, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes the Taylor home, an interpretive center and The Barela Store gift shop, which is operated by volunteers from the Friends of TMHS. The faded imprint of the Reynolds Store (built in the 1850s) is still visible above the entrance to the interpretive center, which tells the story of the Taylor family and the rich history of Mesilla.

And, while the site preserves the unique history, art and architecture of the Mesilla Valley, it also honors the legacy of this remarkable family.

Mary Daniels Taylor was an author and photographer. J. Paul Taylor was an educator and long-time member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, where he was known as the conscience of the Legislature. Mary died in 2007 at age 84. Paul continued to live in the family home – and welcome visitors – until his death in 2023 at the age of 102.

J. Paul Taylor remembers coming to Las Cruces with his parents when he was five years old and the city had about 5,000 residents, he said in a 2016 interview with the Las Cruces Bulletin. A native of Chamberino where his father owned a farm, Taylor graduated from Valley High School (later Gadsden High School) in 1938. He graduated from the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (NMA&M; now New Mexico State University) with a degree in history in 1942 and served four years in the United States Navy during World War II. Taylor married his wife of 63 years, Mary Daniels Taylor, in 1944, and they bought the house on Calle de Principal on the west side of the historic Mesilla plaza nine years later.

Taylor worked for NMA&M before joining the Las Cruces school system in 1951. During a 34-year career, he was a teacher, principal and administrator. Taylor was on the first board of trustees when the Town of Mesilla incorporated in 1959 and served as mayor pro-tempore. He was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in 1987, retiring in 2005.

Mary Helen Daniels Taylor was born in El Paso in 1922. She taught at the public school and university level and was responsible for microfilming the Durango (Mexico) Archives that preserve much of the history of southern New Mexico as part of NMSU’s Rio Grande Historical Collections. With long-time friend Nona Barrick, Mary co-authored “A Place as Wild as the West Ever Was, Mesilla, New Mexico, 1848-1872.”

Mary received the Doña Ana County Historical Society’s Hall of Fame Award, the Catholic Conference of Texas Catholic History Award, and, from the state of New Mexico, the Heritage Preservation Award "in recognition of lifetime achievement in historical research and historic preservation.” She and Paul shared the Pasó por Aqui Award from NMSU’s Rio Grande Historical Collections in 1992.

“The mission of the Friends of TMHS is to assist NMDCA in its development and operation of TMHS as a premier historical, cultural, educational and community resource for visitors to and residents of Mesilla,” said Friends Board secretary Tom Dormody. “The nonprofit will do so through fundraising, advocacy, programs and special events, and recruiting volunteers.”

"There's no better way to learn about the area's culture and traditions than by spending time at the historic site,” said Friends of the TMHS Board member Jo Galván Nash. “That's why so many have joined the Friends organization — to collectively help preserve this one-of-a-kind museum for future generations to explore and enjoy."

For more information, visit taylormesillafriends.com and nmhistoricsites.org/taylor-mesilla. Visit The Barela Store on Facebook.