The community is located near an oxbow of the Rio Grande, which in the past had many turtles ("tortugas" in Spanish).

Tortugas Pueblo, as it is commonly referred to as, was the area of land that was granted to tribal members of the Piro/Manso/Tiwa tribe in Las Cruces.

Despite being considered extinct Manso Indians are part of the population that make up members of the Tortugas community.

The area of land in present-day Las Cruces down the Rio Grande into Juarez, Mexico was the territory of the Manso people before the Spanish came through and before other tribes began moving in.

Despite not being federally recognized, Tortugas has maintained its Native cultural heritage and traditions and has thrived as an inter-tribal community.