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New Mexico Historic Preservation Division

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HPD is a division of the State of New Mexico's Department of Cultural Affairs.

The Historic Preservation Division works to protect and preserve New Mexico's cultural resources, including its archaeological sites, architectural and cultural resources. If you're looking for more information about the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division (the State Historic Preservation Office of New Mexico) please visit: http://www.nmhistoricpreservation.org/

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https://nmculture.org/legal/social-media-standards

10/22/2026

This Week in New Mexico History

The D.H. Sutherland House, located in La Luz, Otero County, New Mexico, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on October 23, 1980.

The house was built around 1870 by Mariano Ramirez. The house was originally a three-room, flat-roofed, adobe house. When Dave H. Sutherland bought the house in 1890, he added a south-facing screened porch, a gable roof, and additional rooms. On the interior, the house has high ceilings, wood floors and corner fireplaces.

Spanish Franciscan missionaries built a small chapel in La Luz, Our Lady of the Light, in 1719. Around 1860 Mexican American farmers fled severe flooding along the Rio Grande and settled in La Luz. DH Sutherland was one of La Luz’s substantial landholders and by 1898 he owned several large parcels and the water rights to them.

The nomination for listing may be found online, here:
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/1a70f769-1ebe-4953-af7d-d87bc712cf4c

10/15/2026

This Week in New Mexico History

Abó Pueblo and Mission, located in Torrance County, was listed as a National Historic Landmark on October 15, 1966. Abó Pueblo and Mission is part of a larger complex, Salinas Pueblo Missions NM

There are three units within the National Monument, Abó, Quarai, and Gran Quivira. The units are discontiguous, each with distinct Spanish Missions, Native American Pueblos, and a variety of other historic buildings and ancestral sites.

The first park started on November 1, 1909, with the preservation of the Gran Quivira unit. That monument was joined in 1980 by the Abó and Quarai Units, and the monument was transferred to the National Park Service from New Mexico State Monuments (the predecessor agency to today’s New Mexico Historic Sites.)

The Missions, Pueblos, Kivas, and Homesteads of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument have stood for hundreds of years and as testaments to the people and cultures that called this area home. Abó is likely the oldest Pueblo at Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. It represents a continuum of land use over 1,000 years by settlers of the Tompiro people. Pueblo people lived in the area starting roughly around 800 AD. These included farmers, hunters, creators, and builders, who were central to a connected trade of goods, ideas, and techniques that flourished throughout the southwest.

Abó appears to have first been documented by Spanish explorer, Antonio de Espejo, in 1583. Missionary work began in 1622, and construction of the first church began in 1629. The site includes pit houses, jacales, prehistoric and historic pueblos, 17th century Spanish Franciscan mission structures, and 19th century ranchero structures. San Gregorio de Abó is the oldest mission in the monument.

There are over 2100 places listed in the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico and Abó Pueblo and Mission is the first on the list as “State Register 1” or “SR1”.

The nomination for listing may be found online, here:
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/3f1c62c8-b1bf-485c-95d1-998c7b8b7b95

For more information about the
Salinos Pueblo Mission National Monument, visit:
https://www.nps.gov/sapu/index.htm

10/08/2026

This Week in New Mexico History

The Salvador Armijo house, located in Albuquerque, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for national significance on October 8, 1976.

The Armijo House, an excellent example of a hacienda, was originally built in the 1840s by Salvador Armijo, a prosperous Albuquerque merchant who was the nephew of Governor Manuel Armijo. Salvador Armijo was born in Albuquerque in 1823 to parents whose marriage represented a union of two leading New Mexico families – the Ortiz family and the Armijo family.

In 1847 Salvador married Paula Montoya and he began acquiring farmland north of the Albuquerque plaza where he built an imposing twelve-room residence with the necessary corrals and outbuildings. He eventually assembled about 100 acres of land, their value enhanced by rights to water from the acequia madre of Albuquerque. Armijo became active in merchandising, freighting and wholesaling ventures extending from eastern points to Mexican trade centers.

By the 1850s Salvador was operating a general store in Albuquerque and then was licensed as a w**e merchant. He then entered into a business with his son-in-law. Armijo’s first marriage ended and he married Maria de las Nieves Sarracino. Doña Nieves looked after the farm and Salvador managed the mule trains. After their separation Salvador deeded the house and some farmlands to Nieves for $10,000. Their daughter Piedad and her husband Santiago Baca took over the homestead as their residence. After Salvador’s untimely death in 1879, Santiago became a wholesale dealer in liquor, a horse dealer, and real estate investor. Santiago was involved with local politics, was elected to the Territorial Council, elected sheriff and tax collector, and there were accusations and legal concerns and deed challenges with his mother-in-law’s charitable proposals about who should own the hacienda. Baca’s family took up residence and deeded the south half to one family member and the north half to another. In 1969 one owner sold their half to the other.

The home was originally built in the Spanish Colonial hacienda style with 12 rooms arranged around a central courtyard. During the mid-20th century, the hacienda was converted into seven apartments. In 1977 the house was turned into a restaurant, Maria Theresa. The restaurant closed in 2004, and the property was purchased by Hotel Albuquerque in 2009. The house is a party and reception venue and is a wedding venue called “Casa Esencia".

To view the nomination, visit:
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/8fc52696-ca34-4470-ab94-5f25f95f1d0f

Recent news about the Salvador Armijo House:
https://www.krqe.com/news/haunting-history-whats-planned-for-one-of-albuquerques-oldest-buildings/

10/06/2026

Saturday was a great day for Archaeology Fair! HPD partnered with NM Office of Archaeological Studies and Museum of Indian Arts and Culture to put on this annual event.

10/01/2026

This Week in New Mexico History

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Locomotive 2926 was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for state significance on October 1, 2007.

The ATSF 2926 steam locomotive is one of 65 dual purpose (passenger and freight) engines built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works between 1927 and 1944. These engineers were designed with a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement - wheels at the front that guide the engine into turns and support the front of the boiler, eight large drives provide motive power and support most of the boiler weight, and four wheels at the rear support the cab and firebox.

ATSF Locomotive 2926 was delivered May 1944 and initially powered troop trains and fast freights supporting war efforts. As part of the Missouri and Pecos Division, 2926 hauled freight trains between Kansas City, Missouri; Clovis, New Mexico; Argentine, Kansas; Wellington, Kansas; and La Junta, Colorado. In 1944 U.S. railroads carried 300 percent more freight than in 1929 with 600,000 fewer cars and 16,000 fewer locomotives. This was due to the improved efficiency and power of trains like the ATSF 2926 which was able to pull a 5,500-ton freight train at 60 mph without assistance at very steep grades.

From 1945-1949, the ATSF 2926 was transferred to the Los Angeles Division and put into passenger service mostly between Los Angeles and Kansas City. In 1949 the ATSF 2926 was transferred to the Eastern Division and provided freight service between Kansas and Clovis.

After logging over 1,000,000 miles, the ATSF was retired in 1953, and then donated to the City of Albuquerque in conjunction with the celebration of the City’s 250th anniversary, placing the train in Coronado Park. The locomotive was there for 44 years.

The New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society was founded in 2007 with the goal of restoring the 2926. The ATSF 2926 is one of six surviving members of the 30 2900 Class 4-8-4’s. All of the later ATSF 4-8-4 locomotives incorporated “Super Power” features first introduced by Lima Locomotive Works in 1925 and later adopted by Baldwin. The ATSF 2926 represents the ATSF’s last push to achieve steam engine Super Power.

In 2000 the locomotive was moved by Messer Construction Company to a BNSF Railway siding. At the time of its listing in 2007, the locomotive was being restored by the New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society and its retention of its integrity in design and materials led to its listing in the National Register.

In 2018 the boiler of ATSF 2926 was fired up for the first time in over 65 years. It was scheduled for a test run in March of 2020, but that event was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 24, 2021, the ATSF 2926 moved under its own power.

Visit New Mexico Heritage Rail on their website, here: https://2926.us/ or
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/NMSX2926/

To view the nomination for listing, visit:
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/f895d973-3de5-407c-8eb3-f428d3f3ac74

View 2025 news about ATSF 2926 here:
https://railfan.com/new-mexico-heritage-rail-secures-main-line-access-for-santa-fe-2926/

09/23/2026

This Week in New Mexico History

Mesa Prieta Petroglyphs, located in Rio Arriba County, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on September 24, 1998.

Mesa Prieta Petroglyphs, is also known as the Lyden Petroglyph District or LA 3942, and is located 12 miles north of the city of Española and 4 miles north of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. It is part of a large agglomeration of petroglyphs carved into basalt boulders on the slopes of Black Mesa, previously called Mesa Prieta on older maps of the region. The site’s petroglyphs document the prehistoric and historic habitation of the Black Mesa escarpment.

The mesa is a major geological feature of the region with a maximum width of three miles and its highest point at 6982 feet. The listed petroglyphs site ranges from about 5800 to 600 feet in elevation. Petroglyphs may be found over the entire mesa but there is a large concentration of them - more than 6,000 on 188 acres – at the Mesa Prieta section.

The Archeological Society of New Mexico’s Rock Art Recording Field School recorded and surveyed the petroglyphs in 1993 and 1994. The forms and styles vary greatly but correspond to cultural periods in the prehistoric Southwest.

The Mesa Prieta Petroglyphs Project began in 1999 to survey and record all of the petroglyphs on the mesa. Over the next three years maps were gathered, permission to record on private land was obtained, volunteers were trained, and funds raised. Fieldwork began in 2002 and since 1999, about 80,000 petroglyphs and cultural items have been documented.

In 2007 the property was donated by Katherine Wells to The Archaeological Conservancy and became known as The Wells Petroglyph Preserve.

To view the nomination for listing, visit:
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/7243e965-2511-4536-90fe-c6fba94ddbcb
(Note that the NR nomination has not been scanned as archaeological information is not shared)

For more information about the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph project, visit: https://www.mesaprietapetroglyphs.org/

09/17/2026

This Week in New Mexico History

The Norman L. King Memorial Stadium in Las Vegas, New Mexico, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for state significance on September 17, 1999.

King Memorial Stadium is a circular masonry amphitheater approximately two acres in size. Located about three miles northwest of Las Vegas, it was built on lands held by the Trustees of the Las Vegas Land Grant and within the property of Camp Maximiliano Luna, the training site of the 111th Cavalry of the New Mexico National Guard.

The stadium was constructed as a WPA project during 1935-1936. The stadium was planned to provide Camp Maximiliano Luna with a horse show facility of regional importance that would stimulate the local economy and create jobs through a public works project. The horse show arena portion of the stadium is set on the floor of a slight valley and the masonry seating area is located along the western arc of the arena on the side of a ridge with terraces formed by curt-and-fill engineering.

The sale of the land for the arena was as a result of a series of court decisions with land grant representatives and subsequent settlers. A board was established in 1903 to oversee land ownership decisions and to sell smaller parcels to individuals and larger parcels like this one to the New Mexico National Guard. The encampment of the 111th Cavalry Regiment contributed to the construction of the stadium. Colonel Norman L. King because commander of the regiment in 1924 and served until 1933. He named the new camp as a memorial to Maximiliano Luna, Commanding Officer of Troop F, First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry (Rough Riders). Camp Luna served as the permanent encampment for the cavalry regiment from 1929 to 1939 when the Army shifted from a horse to a mechanized calvary.

As the effects of the Depression became felt in Las Vegas, popular attractions and events fell victim to the changing economy. Seeking to find a way to boost the local economy, Camp Luna’s Brigadier General Russell C. Charlton proposed that the city work together to apply for WPA funding for a horse show stadium. With Governor Tingley’s support the WPA granted $47,909 for the stadium’s construction. Local supporters and the U.S. Forest Service contributed supplemental funding and building materials. The grant funding provided work relief for a crew of 168 people to construct the stadium.

The stadium was completed by the summer of 1936, and the decision was made to name the new stadium after the late Colonel Norman L. King, the longtime commander of the 111th Cavalry. An article from 2024 addressed the current condition of the stadium and plans for rehabilitation (see link below).

To view the nomination for listing, visit:
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/7e42de88-4474-4e7d-819e-34603b5e42dd

2024 News article
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/las-vegas-land-grant-wants-to-restore-stadium-that-put-city-on-the-map/article_a4854176-7436-11ef-b27a-d797670e68b0.html

09/16/2026

FREE EVENT - - > Archaeology Fair

October 3, 2026
Center for New Mexico Archaeology
7 Old Cochiti Road, Santa Fe
10am-3pm

Learn about:
• Chaco Canyon
• Historic Sites
• National Parks and Monuments Near You

Activities:
• Throw an atlatl
• Flintknapping
• Bone Tools
• Make Your Own Clay Pot
• Explore the Wonder on Wheels Museum

Tours:
Tours of the Archaeological Repository will be held at:
• 10:30 a.m.
• 12:00 p.m.
• 1:30 p.m.

Hosted by:
• New Mexico Historic Preservation Division
• New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies
• Museum of Indian Arts + Culture

Questions?
Contact Cortney Wands, [email protected]

09/10/2026

This Week in New Mexico History

The Val Verde Hotel located in Socorro was built in 1919 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on September 13, 1977. The building is listed in the National Register for national significance.

The U-shaped building is built of yellow concrete brick was designed by architects Trost & Trost. The building has a three-story central section which is flanked by two one-story wings which form a patio. The building was designed in the Spanish Mission Revival style and is one of the last of a series of hotels built in Socorro during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although agriculture and mining were the mainstays of Socorro’s economy during its early years, tourism became an important contribution to Socorro’s economy.

Beginning in 1880 with the arrival of the Santa Fe railroad the business of providing food and lodging for travelers grew, especially with the construction of U.S. highways Interstate 25 and 60 - main north-south and east-west routes which intersect in Socorro. During the late 19th century tourists could find accommodation in Socorro in the elegant Grand Central or Park hotels located on Socorro’s plaza.

Socorro is situated on or near the site of a major Piro pueblo in existence at the time of the Spanish conquest. It was given its name, Socorro, the Spanish word for succor, by Don Juan de Oñate. At the time, Oñate and his men badly needed grain, and the Piro people provided supplies. Permanent settlement started around 1815 when a land grant was made to a group of colonists who established the plaza of San Miguel del Socorro (also listed in the NRHP). Silver and lead ore were discovered in the 1860s at Magdalena, twenty-seven miles west of Socorro. This began a thirty-year span of mining activity in the region with the boom resulting in the construction of three smelters during the 1880s at Socorro.

In 1889 the New Mexico School of Mines, now known as New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, was established in Socorro. Despite the slump in the mining economy which began after the closing of the three smelters and mines in the area a group of businessmen incorporated the Socorro Hotel Company in April 1919, hoping to capitalize on the growth of tourism. The group planned to construct an impressive hotel to be known as the “Val Verde”.

During the first twenty-five years of operation the Val Verde was a first-class hotel, one of the finest in the southwest, and it was the social center of the region. With the services of a highly skilled chef, many political dinners, wedding receptions, and business meetings were held at the hotel. Newer motels in the area and changes in the lifestyle of the region’s population during the 1940s led to a decline in business.

To view the nomination for listing, visit:
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/a6244bf4-e357-4cbc-b9ae-de5fb494c37f

The building of the Val Verde hotel:
https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=2204&context=nma

The Val Verde is currently for sale:
https://www.homesbytabitha.com/property/historic-hotel-val-verde/
Note that since the hotel is listed in the NR for national significance, a rehabilitation project may be eligible for the Save America’s Treasures grant program, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservationfund/save-americas-treasures-grants.htm

09/03/2026

This Week in New Mexico History

The reredos located at Cristo Rey Church in Santa Fe, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for National Significance on September 4, 1970.

Located inside Cristo Rey Church, located at Canyon Road and Cristo Rey Streets in Santa Fe, the reredos or altar screen (also called a retablo) is carved from native, light-colored, compressed volcanic stone. Patches of the original polychrome decoration remained visible on the surface when the nomination was completed in 1970.

The reredos was carved in 1760 by unknown artisans after the Spanish Governor, Francisco Antonio Marin del Valle had a military chapel built (Our Lady of Light Chapel) on the Santa Fe Plaza. He financed the construction of the chapel and donated the central interior decoration carved by masons in stone from Pojoaque quarries. The new chapel and construction of the reredos were so noteworthy at the time that Pedro Tamaron, the Bishop of Durango, described the chapel and the reredos in his report to the King of Spain upon his return.

Religious services in the chapel were halted in 1832 and by the 1840s the chapel was in a state of disrepair. Bishop Lamy had attempted to revive the chapel but was unsuccessful. The chapel was abandoned and sold and the reredos moved to the parish church, which stood on the site of the present St. Francis Cathefral. By 1894, with the completion of the new Cathedral, the reredos was hidden from common view in a small room behind the cathedral’s altar.

Cristo Rey Church was built in 1940 and designed by John Gaw Meem. The reredos was taken from its hiding place and incorporated as the backdrop of the new church’s altar. Cristo Rey Catholic Church is a large Spanish Pueblo Revival structures widely considered the largest adobe church in the United States.

The National Register of Historic Places classifies its listings into five broad property types: buildings, districts, sites, structures, and objects. Out of the 2100 listings in the National Register database for New Mexico only 9 are for objects.

To view the nomination for listing, visit:
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/13181161-9e83-497b-b711-16176b44a6c0

For more information on the reredos visit these websites from the church’s website:
https://www.cristoreyparish.org/photos
https://irp.cdn-website.com/8cb82a13/files/uploaded/CristoReyHistory.pdf

Address

407 Galisteo Street, Suite 236
Santa Fe, NM
87501

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+15058276320

Website

http://www.nmhistoricpreservation.org/

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