Columbus, NM

Columbus is a Luna County village three miles north of the Mexican border, facing Puerto Palomas de Villa across the international line. It was established in 1891 and changed quickly after the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad arrived in 1902, moving the center of activity toward the depot. In March 1916, Pancho Villa’s raid and the U.S. military response at Camp Furlong placed Columbus in national history. The village became a base for General John Pershing’s Mexican Expedition, and the old railroad and military buildings still shape the local story.

Today Columbus and Camp Furlong form a National Historic Landmark district with surviving buildings, ruins, exhibits, a museum, and a visitor center. Pancho Villa State Park occupies part of the historic area, while the Columbus Historical Society operates the Depot Museum in the original railroad building that survived the raid. Columbus Elementary School is part of Deming Public Schools, and the border crossing ties daily life to Palomas and the wider Chihuahua road network. The village is small, but its map carries several layers at once: railroad, military camp, border trade, bilingual community events, and the high-desert road south from Deming.