Wikipedia: "Mexico was laid out as "New Mexico" in 1836 and was a major stop for settlers heading to the Republic of Texas (thus the name "New Mexico")"

Thus, of course. Notable former residents include:

• Lebbeus R. Wilfley, federal judge
• Xenophon P. Wilfley, United States Senator

Lebbeus and Xenophon: wonder what Dad did for a living.

So how's the town today?

This ain’t good. Then again, I always start at the edge of the downtown, and you frequently find seedly old structures that hung around too long. I haven't seen this batch since I clipped it a year ago, so let's see what we can see.

Oh, it’s going to be one of those.

Your basic Walking Dead town, then?

Places like these do exert a grim hold on the imagination, don't they.

The Fellows of Oddness are still convening? That’s good

But the building looks like a church they bought at an auction.

What the hell happened upstairs, I’d like to know.

Someone was trying to take off the stone, got mad, kept making things worse, then quit and decided not to do the other three?

More of that creepy Buckaroo’ing that makes the second floor look as if it is stuffed with giant owls

1885. LAKENON & BARNES had a vision, and a few dollars as well.

But . . . what about that structure on the right? It has to be older than Lakenan & Barnes, but it doesn't look like it, aside from the thin windows.

Ugh.

The ground floor renovation didn’t make anything look better, it just made it look newer. And did anyone think how those shingles would look down the road? Anyone?

“Oh, Miss Bates lives up there, all alone. You might catch a glimpse of her on October 12, the day her fiancee was supposed to come, and they’d elope from her bedroom up there. He never came. They never found out what happened.”

Nice attempt to make a painted lady of the building. Wonder who did it, and when, and whether anyone will try again.

DECORATIONS ARE FOR WHORE BUILDINGS

“What goes on in there? Can’t rightly say. It was a sex club for a long time. Mebbe it still is.”

Of all the rehabs, vitrolite is the best. It just is. Modernizes without disrespecting.

Well, an old drug store, of course.

You can tell, can’t you?

The whole town seems to be redesigned around hiding.

The roof collapsed long ago. The facade has been carefully and respectfully maintained.

SO MUCH BUCKAROO

Ancient details, like finding something unearthed in a lost Roman city in Tunisia.

“I ever tell you about the time my brother doused his beard with lighter fluid then lit a cigarette?”

Dammit, Bob, now folks are going to realize we got a secret third floor. They'll know that's where the sex club went!

I guess they’re buying them on Amazon now.

A very old gas station; tells you the dealership building went back to the 20s, too.

Bet the cornice got shaved off at some point.

Lovely old signage. It was a bridal shop, if the internet is correct. Seems to have closed fairly recently.

From a prosperous time.

I’ll bet it was surrounded by trees, once.

An oddly empty and dispiriting centerpiece for a town whose geist fled long ago.