Pilar, New Mexico

The original name of Cieneguilla is derived from the Spanish word ciénaga, which means "marsh" or "marshy place".

The swampy ground is caused by several streams running across a small flood plain formed by a bend in the Rio Grande.

Because the area featured a flat plain with a constant source of water, it was long frequented by the Jicarilla Apache.

[2] In 1694, the Spaniard Diego de Vargas burned the Apache village in the process of his re-conquest of New Mexico following the expulsion of the Spanish during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.

[4] On March 30, 1854, the Battle of Cieneguilla between the Jicarilla Apache fighters and the U.S. 1st Cavalry Regiment was fought in the hills several miles from the town.