So many to find; So little time!

We were off on another cemetery hunt - actually multiple cemeteries hunt!

We headed north up on NM 4 to NM 290 a few miles to Ponderosa.  There is a small cemetery next to the Ponderosa Fire Station called aptly, Pondrosa Cemetery.  Perhaps 200 burials here, many very old.

Ponderosa Cemetery, Sandoval County, NM

Back to NM 4 and headed north to Jemez Springs.  There are two cemeteries behind the Our Lady of Assumption Catholic church right on NM 4.  I think there are Catholic burials behind the church and then in the back part of the cemetery is the Jemez Springs Presbyterian burials.

Our Lady of Assumption Jemez Springs, Sandoval Co., NM

Jemez Springs Presbyterian, Sandoval Co., NM

Next was Los Alamos where there is surprisingly only one cemetery in a fair sized city.  It is tucked into the north part of the city and is the only cemetery in the entire Los Alamos county.  It is a beautiful cool and green cemetery with gentle hills and pretty benches.

Guaje Pine, Los Alamos, NM

 

We got lost trying to find San Ildefonso so just had to continue on to Santa Clara Pueblo. 

Santa Clara Pueblo, Rio Arriba Co., NM

 

The Black Mesa Cemetery is beautiful set against a pretty mesa.  But it is behind locked gates and about 1/2 mile is the closest we could get.

                                          Black Mesa Cemetery, Rio Arriba Co., NM

In Espanola there is only one cemetery, fairly large, known as Sacred Heart.  It is on the west side of town behind the Sacred Heart Catholic church.  It too was locked but we could get through a skinny little gate.  There are many cats wandering around this cemetery and they scare you when they jump off a tombstone!

                                           Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery, Espanola, NM

After spending the night, we started early the next morning just north of NM 68 on US 285 is the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo aka San Juan Pueblo.  Just 1/2 mile from the turn off NM 68 (on US 285) is the Saint John the Baptist large cemetery.

                                          At Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, Rio Arriba Co., NM

Continuing north, we went east on NM 582 to the tiny village of Guique.  There is a small village cemetery here with about 100 burials.

                                          San Raphael del Guique, Rio Arriba Co., NM

On to the equally small village of Chamita.  The main cemetery is on CR 56, just south of US 285.

                                         Capilla de San Pedro, Chamita, Rio Arriba Co., NM

Next we needed to find a second cemetery in Chamita.  This tiny area has only tiny, tiny alleyways off the main road.  It was just like driving in someones driveway in order to get anywhere.  Driving a large white Audi Q7 vehicle, being 'white' and not speaking Spanish set us WAY apart from the villagers.  It seemed every yard had someone watching us.  But in order to find this second cemetery, we had to ask someone.  We stopped a man walking down the road looking for his lost clutch parts.  When we asked him if he knew of another cemetery, he said no one knows about that one!  It was our lucky day because this cemetery was actually on his property and his grandparents had owned it!  He took us right to the hidden cemetery on his property and told us the history.  He registered it with the church and named it Camino Angelito.  Sometimes it pays to not speak Spanish!

                                                       Camino Angelito, Chamita, NM

                                         Graves of 5 little children the cemetery is named after

Now we are are on the High Road to Taos and checking out the confusing community of Cordova.  You have to go south of NM 76 down CR80 and once again on tiny dirt roads.  There are two cemeteries here, surprisingly, across the street from each other, both with lots of room.  There was no indication of a name for either, so we are just calling them Cordova East (on east side of road) and Cordova West (side of road).

Cordova East

Cordova West

 

We have also been confused by cemetery listings for Truchas so we had to go there too!  There is one large cemetery coming into Truchas from the West on NM 76.

Los Llanitos Cemetery, W of Truchas, Rio Arriba, NM

 

In the village of Truchas, right where NM 76 makes a sharp left turn and NM 578 goes east, there is a plot that has 3 cemeteries combined.  Only one had a name visible.  We are guessing (until we can prove otherwise) that one of these is the Camposanto Truchas.

 

Truchas North site

Truchas West site

Martinez Cemetery, Truchas, NM

The Martinez Cemetery was the only one with a name, which is on the large cross.

 

Our last stop was south of Santa Fe in the rain.  From I-25 take the Las Golondrinas exit west to Camino San Jose and follow it to the little church.  This is the San Jose Camposanto or La Cienega Cemetery.

 

 

This was the end of this survey trip but there will be another one next month.  Stay tuned!

Trip was 176 miles.