Basements in Albuquerque

[Lydia S.]

As one coming from locations where basements or at least cellars are commonplace, I'm curious about why they are a rarity here in ABQ.  Only a handful of listings I've looked at state it has a basement or even a split level partially below ground level.  The vast majority appear to be on slabs.

I speculate it's due to soil composition or water tables, but I wonder if anyone can clarify this for me.