In 1740, a group of Hispanic families, seeking new cultivatable land, received a grant of more than 200,000 acres from the governor of Spanish New Mexico.
The Atchison,.
In the 1850s and 1860s, German immigrants joined Hispanic merchants to form a vibrant business community.
An agricultural community was formed around several plazas, and residents prospered through barter and subsistence farming.
In 1793, a church was built in the Belen Old Town Plaza under the direction of Franciscan priests.
In 1740, a group of Hispanic families, seeking new cultivatable land, received a grant of more than 200,000 acres from the governor of Spanish New Mexico