vˈɪlɐnˌuːvə, ɐ spˈænɪʃ kəlˈoʊnɪəl vˈɪlɪdʒ, wʌz fˈaʊndᵻd ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪt ænd ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli kˈɔːld lˌæ kjˈuːstə spˈænɪʃ, hˈɪl ɔːɹ slˈoʊp bɪkˈʌz ðə vˈɪlɪdʒ sˈɪts ˌɔn tˈɑːp əvə stˈiːpli slˈoʊpɪŋ hˈɪl ɔːɹ kjˈuːstə ˌoʊvɚlˈʊkɪŋ ðə pˈiːkoʊz ɹˈɪvɚ.
Villanueva, a Spanish colonial village, was founded in 1808 and originally called La Cuesta (Spanish, hill or slope) because the village sits on top of a steeply sloping hill or cuesta overlooking the Pecos River.