Historic Churches, Missions &
Pueblos
New Mexico has many interesting
historical churches and missions. In fact, New Mexico was built
on religion and many of the original church buildings still exist
today. Many are open daily for you to explore and get a feel
for the old days. Many are still active in their community, holding
regular worship services and parish events.
If you know of an historic church that could be
listed here, please email
detailed information!
Albuquerque / Angel Fire / Bernalillo / Chimayo /
Corrales / Española
/ Grants / Isleta
/ Jemez Springs / Las
Vegas / Malaga / Mescalero
/ Mesilla / Mountainair
/ Pecos / Pinos
Altos / Placita / San
Lorenzo / Santa Cruz / Santa
Fe / Socorro / Taos
/ Tomé / Vado
/ Zuni / Listing of :Pueblos
of New Mexico (outside
this page)
ALBUQUERQUE
- San Felipe de Neri Church -
A beautiful Spanish Colonial-style church built in the 1700s.
Still open to the public. Located in historic Old Town Albuquerque
(505) 243-4628
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ANGEL FIRE
- Vietnam Veterans National Memorial Chapel -
A beautiful center that honors our Vietnam veterans. Visitors
center, veterans archives and chapel. Located in the Sangre de
Cristo Mountains, four miles north of Angel Fire, NM on
U.S. 64 (505) 377-6900
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BERNALILLO
- Old Convent Building - Built in 1875, it was donated by José
Leandro Perea to Archbishop Lamy and in 1878 the Sisters of Loretto
opened a girls school.
- Santuario de San Lorenzo - Built in 1856. Next door to Our Lady
of Sorrows Church. Located at 281 Camino del Pueblo, or go to
Our Lady of Sorrows Church so they can let you in (505) 867-5252
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CHIMAYO
- Santuario de Chimayó - A Legendary shrine from around 1816.
Ask about the "holy mud"! In the village of Chimayó,
NM (505) 351-4889
- The Shrine of the Santuario
de Nuestro Señor -
(Shrine of Our Lord) This church, was built in 1813-1816, by
Don Bernardo Abeyta. The shrine has been a place of pilgrimage
for over 250 years, located there is the image of the Santo Niño
de Atocha. The shrine is located 30 miles north west of Sante
Fe in Chimayó (505)982-5619
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CORRALES
- Old San Ysidro Church - Built in the 1860's. Located in Corrales,
NM (505) 898-8220
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ESPAÑOLA
- Plaza de Española
Mission and Convento
- Visit a replica of Don Juan de Oñate's first church
that was built in 1598.
- Find out more about Española,
NM
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GRANTS
- VISIT
GRANTS - tourism
information about Grants, New Mexico, and the surrounding area.
- Mission San Rafael - Originally a parish in 1892, this
mission was destroyed by fire in 1930. The new building was dedicated
in 1937. Then beautiful stained glass windows were added in 1981.
The lovely bell tower welcomes visitors. Daily Masses. Located
at Fort Wingate/San Rafael, near Grants, NM
- St. Joseph of the Lake Mission
Church - located amongst
the village of the Laguna Pueblo in northwestern New Mexico this
church, also called "San Jose de Laguna," was completed
in 1705. It is a beautiful adobe and stone structure with large,
surrounding walls. It also has native religious art influenced
by early Spaniards. Daily masses. Located at the Laguna Pueblo
near Grants, NM
- Read the following information
about the church and the pueblo:
- Laguna Pueblo - The largest Keresan Pueblo founded in the 1400s.
Has six villages! Home of the St. Joseph of the Lake Mission
Church. Feast
of St. Joseph held on September 19. Note: photography, sketching
& taping are forbidden without a permit. Fishing, shops &
polychrome pottery. Located 46 miles W of Albuquerque off I-40.
(505) 552-6654
- Pueblo Pottery Gallery
- Our Lady of Loretto Bibo - Located near Jackpile, the largest
open-pit uranium mine in the world, this one-room adobe mission
was built in the 1880s by the Bibo brothers in dedication of
Our Lady of Loretto. A small cemetery is attached. Masses on
the 2nd & 4th Fridays of each month at 7pm. Located in Bibo
near Grants, NM
- Our Lady of Sorrow Seboyeta - The first church building may have
been here as early as 1778, but the present structure was built
in 1820. Daily masses. Located at Seboyeta near Grants, NM
- San Estevan Del Rey - Built in 1629 under the direction
of Friar Juan Ramirez, it was dedicated to St. Stephen the King
to celebrate the harvest. Located at the Acoma Pueblo, it claims
to be the oldest parish on the continent! It has two bell towers
and resembles a huge fort. There is a cowhide painting of St.
Stephen hanging inside the chapel. Mass is on Wednesdays at 8am.
Located at Acoma Sky City near Grants, NM
- Santa Maria De Acoma - This beautiful two tower building
is made of sandstone, blending in with the mesa it sits on. It
has a wonderful view of Mount Taylor. Mass is on Sunday at 8am.
Located in McCarty's near Grants, NM
- St. Margaret Mary Paraje - Built in 1935, by Father Lammert,
his family and local laborers, in the Pueblo style. The "blueprint"
of this church has been used by several other missions in New
Mexico. Saturday masses. Located in Paraje near Grants, NM
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ISLETA
- St. Augustine Church on the Isleta Pueblo - Located on one of the largest Southwestern
pueblos, St. Augustine Catholic Church dated 1612. The pueblo
also has a casino, 27-hole Isleta Eagle Gold Course, fishing,
picnicking, RV camping. Located 15 miles south of Albuquerque
off I-25. (505) 869-3111
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JEMEZ SPRINGS
- Jemez Springs
- Tourism information about Jemez Springs
- San Jose de los Jemez: a 17th century Spanish mission church.
Part of the Jemez State Monument & Pueblo attractions. Read
below for more information.
- Jemez State Monument - Located 43 miles north of Bernalillo
on NM Highway 4 in the town of Jemez Springs. (505) 829-3530.
See the stone ruins of Giusewa, ancient Towa settlement stand
on the banks of the Rio Grande near present-day Jemez Pueblo.
The beautiful setting is shared with San Jose de los Jemez, a
17th century Spanish mission church.
Some web sites about the Jemez area
- Jémez Pueblo - The
pueblo itself is closed to the public except during feast days.
However, Walatowa, the main village, is open to the public and
offers gift shop, photo displays, and nature walks. Nearby Jemez
Red Rocks Recreation Area, Jemez Springs, Jemez State Monument
and the Jemez River offer Indian foods, arts, crafts and fishing!
Notice: photography, sketching or recording prohibited at pueblo.
Located 30 miles NW of Bernalillo via NM44. For additional information,
contact the Walatowa Visitor Center at (505) 834-7235 or click
below.
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LAS VEGAS
- Our Lady of Sorrows Church - Built in 1862-1870, it was the largest
stone building in New Mexico when completed. Home to the century-old
pipe organ played each Sunday. Located in Las Vegas, NM
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MALAGA
- Cristo Rey - Built in the early 1900s, you can
feel the presence of respect in this beautiful church. Malaga
is a small community of about 300, located just south of Carlsbad,
NM.
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MESCALERO
- St. Joseph Apache Mission - Self guided tours. Construction of church started
in 1918. Apache culture and traditional Catholicism blended together.
1/2 mile east of Mescalero Cultural Center on Hwy 70 in Mescalero,
NM
- Mescalero Cultural Center - Contains history of Apache tribe,
food preparation, medicine men local herbs & photos. Hwy
70, Mescalero, NM (505) 671-4494
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MESILLA
- San Albino Catholic Church - Originally built in 1855, this open
and active Catholic parish was rebuilt in 1906. Daily masses
in English and Spanish. Click
here for photos and information about the church and Old
Mesilla. Located in the plaza of Old Mesilla, NM (505) 526-9349
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MOUNTAINAIR
- Salinas Pueblo Missions National
Monument - Preserved
within this monument is the most complete regional complex of
17th Century ruins remaining in the United States. The Monument
includes the ruins of three Indian pueblos and their four large
Spanish church ruins: Church of San Gregorio in Abó
(1620s); the Pueblo de Las Humanas (1629) and the San
Buenaventura (1659) churches in Gran Quivira; and the ruins
of Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion de Cuarac
(1630). Self-guiding trails, tours and visitor center. Located
near Mountainair, NM. (505) 847-2585
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PECOS
- Pecos
National Historical Park
- Pecos National Historical
Park contains the ruins of the ancient 15th-century Pueblo of
Pecos, the remains of two Spanish missions built in the 17th
and 18th centuries (Nuestra Senora de los Porciuncula
de los Pecos), and numerous archaeological sites in a
landmark area on the Santa Fe Trail. Two units preserve the sites
of the Civil War Battle of Glorieta Pass. Located 2 miles south
of Pecos, NM on NM63 (505) 757- 6414 x 1
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PINOS ALTOS
- Hearst Church
- The Hearst family (of San Francisco publishing fame) had holdings
in Pinos Altos. It is said that the last gold bar from the Pacific
Mine is what the Hearst family uses for their wedding rings.
The Hearst Church, built with Hearst money in 1898, is now a
museum and art gallery. Seven miles north of Silver City on NM
15 in Pinos Altos. Learn
more about the historic gold mining town of Pinos Altos.
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PLACITA
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SAN LORENZO
- San Lorenzo - this small mission church is dedicated
to the patron saint of cooking. Nearby is a small café
called Sisters! Beautiful country drive near Mimbres, New Mexico.
Located at the intersection of State Highways 152 and 45.
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SANTA CRUZ
- Historic Holy Cross Catholic
Church - Built in 1733,
see Spanish Colonial religious artifacts. Located in Santa Cruz,
NM, (east of Española) on NM State Highway 76. For additional
information: PO Box 1228 Santa Cruz, NM 87567 or (505) 753-3345
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SANTE FE
- Loretto Chapel - This is where the famous "mystery staircase"
is located. No one knows who built it! No nails were used! It
is perfect 360 degree staircase with no visible means of support!!
Daily tours. Located at 207 Old Santa Fe Trail in downtown Sante
Fe, NM (505) 982-0092
- Click here for an interesting history site about Loretto
Chapel.
- San Miguel Mission - Historic mission church with permanent
exhibits and tours on tape! Located at 401 Old Sante Fe Trail,
Santa Fe, NM (505) 983-3974
- St. Francis Cathedral - Constructed in 1869 under the direction
of Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy. Located at 213 Cathedral Place
in Santa Fe, NM (505) 982-5619
- Santuario de Guadalupe - Built in the 1700s, this mission museum,
with Spanish Colonial artifacts, is the oldest shrine to Our
Lady of Guadalupe in the United States! Located at 100 South
Guadalupe in Santa Fe, NM (505) 988-2027
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SOCORRO
- Old San Miguel Mission - The original building was built by Father Alfonso
Benavidez with the help of the Indians in 1598. That building
was replaced with a larger one between the years 1615 and 1626.
Beautiful carved vegas and supporting corbe-arches and other
decoration was created by the local Indians. They also made a
solid silver Communion Rail, a Tabernacle and sacred vessels
used during mass. When a rebellion broke out in 1680, the silver
"treasures" were buried so they would not be stolen.
They have never been found. This interesting building is still
used today for community events! Find out more about this interesting
building by visiting the San Miguel Mission, located just north
of the downtown plaza on 403 Camino Real in Socorro NM
(505) 835-2891
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TAOS
- San Francisco de Asís Church - Built by the Franciscans in 1815,
this is still an active and viable community parish. Located
Four miles south of Taos, NM on NM 68 (505) 758-2754
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TOMÉ
- Immaculate Conception Catholic
Church - Oldest Hispanic
settlement in Valencia County. Still used today. Relics and santos
dating back to 1722! Open to the public. Located just five miles
north of Belen in Tomé, NM (505) 865-7497
- Tomé Parish Museum - Local religious history exhibit. Near
the church above.
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VADO
- Valley Grove Baptist Church - Organized in 1924, built in 1925,
this little church was built by Francis Marion Boyer and other
family and friends, who had moved to the area and had no place
to worship. The church is still standing today and worship services
are still held. Some of Francis Boyer's offspring are still members
of the church. Vado, NM
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ZUNI
- Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe - The mission was built by the Spanish
in 1629, and destroyed twice; once in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680
and again in mid-17th century. It was rebuilt to its current
state in 1969. Murals depicting Zuni culture can be seen inside.
The kachna murals were restored by Dr. Alex Seowtewa. Zuni Reservation,
mid-western New Mexico.
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Stock Photos of Churches -
New Mexico churches include: St. Augustine Catholic Church (Isleta
Pueblo), Taos, Lumberton, and others.
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