Rodeo is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States.

[4] Founded in 1902 as a rail stop on the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad line running from Bisbee, Arizona to El Paso, Texas, it became the center for cattle shipping in the San Simon Valley.

The toponym Rodeo originated as Spanish rodeo, meaning "roundup" or "enclosure", or more specifically "place where cattle are gathered" (Sitio donde se reúne el ganado),[5][6] derived from the Spanish verb rodear meaning "to surround, encircle".

[7] The El Paso and Southwestern railroad runs east across the southern part of the state and after passing through Antelope Pass turns south to Rodeo continuing to Douglas, Arizona, and then north to Bisbee, going around the Chiricahua Mountains.

Lordsburg, the Hidalgo County seat, is 47 miles (76 km) to the northeast via Highway 80 and I-10.