Travel Guide Isleta

Isleta Pueblo is located 13 miles south of Albuquerque. It is adjacent to and east of the main section of Laguna Pueblo through which I-40 (Route 66) passes. The pueblo was built on a knife-edge lava reef crossing an old Rio Grande channel. It is home to less than 3,000 people. The population consists mainly of Native Americans of the Tiwa (or Tigua) group. It lies on the route of the pre-1937 Route 66, which branches off to the northwest at Los Lunas and joins I-40 at Correo. The small towns crossed are not very interesting but it is pleasant to drive on an old section lined with vestiges of the 66.