city in New Mexico, founded 1706 and named for Spanish administrator and viceroy of Mexico Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, Duque de Alburquerque (1617-1676); the name subsequently was altered by association with Portuguese hero Alfonso d'Albuquerque (1453-1515), the "Portuguese Mars," famed as a great conqueror and champion of Christianity. Both men took their names from Alburquerque, a town in Spain near the Portuguese border, the name of which means "white oak;" it is said to be ultimately from Latin albus "white" (see alb) and quercus "oak" (see Quercus).
