LAS CRUCES

city, seat (1852) of Doa Ana county, southern New Mexico, U.S. It lies along the Rio Grande 38 miles (61 km) northwest of El Paso, Texas. It was founded in 1848. Old accounts tell how a Spanish caravan of oxcarts was ambushed by Apaches and the bodies left at the spot where the town now stands. Another caravan, following along, buried the dead and placed crosses over the graves, whence the name Las Cruces (Spanish: the crosses). Cotton and pecans are grown in the area, which is irrigated by Elephant Butte Dam. New Mexico State University (1888) is in Las Cruces. White Sands Missile Range and White Sands National Monument are to the northeast. Historic Mesilla (briefly the Confederate capital of Arizona Territory) and the Indian community of Tohtugas are nearby. Inc. 1907. Pop. (1992 est.) city, 66,466; Las Cruces MSA, 141,405.