Founded in 1751 to settle the Las Trampas Land Grant, its center retains the original early Spanish colonial defensive layout as well as the 18th-century San José de Gracia Church, one of the finest surviving examples of Spanish colonial church architecture in the United States.

Two irrigation ditches, called acequias, run parallel to the river from the head to the foot of the valley and deliver water to farmers for crops.

A distinctive feature of the acequias is the survival of a "canoa," a hand-hewn hollow log that serves as a flume to transport water across ditches and depressions.

[10] In 1751, the governor awarded a land grant, later measured to consist of 28,132 acres (11,385 ha), to prospective settlers.

Santo Tomas Apostol del Rio de Las Trampas was founded that same year on grant lands by 12 families from Santa Fe.

The primary purpose of its establishment was to protect the town of Santa Cruz, 27 kilometres (17 mi) southwest, from raids by the Ute, Apache, and, especially, the Comanche.

Also among the early settlers were Tlaxcalans, Mexican Indians who had a long history of assisting the Spanish, and mestizos.

[15][16] Trampas is known for the San José de Gracia Church, built between 1760 and 1776 and considered a model of the adobe colonial Spanish missions in New Mexico.