Mesilla, New Mexico - La Posta de Mesilla, Billy the Kid jail

Restaurant and stop on the Butterfield Trail. Was once a bunkhouse and stable for travelers, having been frequented by the likes of Billy The Kid, Pat Garrett, Pancho Villa, along with many more personalities of the Wild West. The establishment is maintained in authentic Wild West decor. There is a gift store inside, featuring various wares and an assortment of hot sauces ranging in degrees of "hotness." There are also large fish tanks with piranha in them that can devour human flesh very quickly, along with a very large cage filled with exotic birds. Across the street from La Posta is a Billy The Kid gift store, which was the former Mesilla Jail. This jail housed Billy The Kid before his extradition to Lincoln, NM, only to have him escape and elude capture for some time thereafter. [John Wyntjes, 12/15/2004]