Pajarito Mesa is a census-designated place in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 579. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. Pajarito Mesa is an informal settlement lacking basic services including electricity, running water, and formal roads, and existing largely outside of government regulation. It does not meet the U.S. government definition of a colonia because it is more than from the U.S.–Mexico border, but otherwise exhibits the same features as a colonia. The mesa was first settled in the 1970s and the population had grown to about 250 families by 2013. Geography Pajarito Mesa is located on a mesa between the Rio Grande and Rio Puerco valleys, about southwest of central Albuquerque. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land. Demographics Education It is zoned to Albuquerque Public Schools. References Census-designated places in Bernalillo County, New Mexico Census-designated places in New Mexico Albuquerque metropolitan area