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Missions, Old Churches,
and Ruins in New Mexico


The ruins of old San Geronimo de Taos, destroyed in 1846. A cemetery now lies inside the walls.

Missions and Churches

Most of the missions of New Mexico (like those on the Hopi mesas) are unusual in that they were planted right in existing villages, whereas in California, Texas, and Baja California, the padres had to start an enterprise and then lure the natives to it.

Also unlike any others (except perhaps some in Baja), including those at Hopi, the New Mexico missions have for the most part been operating continuously for hundreds of years.

To give a list of the missions is, in 19 cases, to give a list of the pueblos in which they are located.

I have divided the missions and old churches listed here into four groups:
  1. missions located in living pueblos (Native American villages)
  2. other churches dedicated as "missions" at some point (according to John L. Kessell in Missions of New Mexico since 1776)
  3. mission ruins (often grand) located in national sites
  4. churches (only one of them a mission) in Santa Fe
These are mainly alphabetical by the name of the pueblo, town, or city, not by the name of the church. I mainly follow Kessell in all mission and church lists.


Missions in modern pueblos
  1. San Esteban at Acoma Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  2. San Buenaventura at Cochiti Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  3. San Agustin at Isleta Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  4. San Diego at Jemez Pueblo (map: original site, "new" site / Wiki)
  5. Santo Domingo at Kewa Pueblo (formerly Santo Domingo) (map / Wiki)
  6. San Jose at Laguna Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  7. San Francisco at Nambé Pueblo (original site, modern (1974) / article); Sagrada Corazon at Nambe (for non-Indian population; 1910) (map / article)
  8. San Juan Bautista at Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo (formerly San Juan) (map / Wiki)
  9. San Lorenzo at Picuris Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  10. Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe at Pojoaque Pueblo (possible original site, very modern 1966 replacement / Wiki)
  11. San Antonio at Sandia Pueblo (ruins, in use / Wiki)
  12. San Felipe at San Felipe Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  13. San Ildefonso at San Ildefonso Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  14. Santa Ana at Santa Ana Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  15. Santa Clara at Santa Clara Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  16. San Geronimo at Taos Pueblo (original [ruins], "new" / Wiki)
  17. San Diego at Tesuque Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  18. Nuestra Señora de la Asunción at Zia Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  19. Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe at Zuni Pueblo (map / Wiki)

Missions in other cities and villages
  1. Santa Rosa de Lima near Abiquiu (map / Wiki)
  2. Santo Tomas at Abiquiu (map / Wiki)
  3. Penitente Morada at Abiquiu (map / article)
  4. San Felipe de Neri at Albuquerque (map / Wiki)
  5. San José de Gracia Church at Las Trampas (map / Wiki)
  6. San Francisco at Ranchos de Taos (map / Wiki)
  7. Santa Cruz de la Canada at Santa Cruz (map / Wiki)
  8. Nuestra Señora de la Concepción at Tomé (map / Wiki)
  9. Sanctuario de Chimayo (map / Wiki)
  10. Mission San Miguel de Socorro at Socorro (map / Wiki)

Missions in ruins, located in national sites
  1. San Jose at Jemez Historic Site (map / Wiki)
  2. Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Porciúncula at Pecos National Historical Park (map / Wiki)
  3. Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument (Wiki)
    1. San Gregorio at Abo (map / Wiki)
    2. Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción at Quarai (map / Wiki)
    3. San Buenaventura de las Humanas y San Isidro at Gran Quivira (map / Wiki)

Churches in Santa Fe
  1. San Francisco Cathedral (map / Wiki)
  2. Sanctuario de Guadalupe (map / Wiki)
  3. Cristo Rey Church (map / Wiki)
  4. San Miguel Church (map / Wiki)
  5. Loretto Chapel (map / Wiki)

Native American Ruins

As I did with Arizona and Utah/Colorado, I have incorporated here the lists from David Grant Noble's Ancient Ruins of the Southwest. These sites range from the truly grand--like Chaco Canyon--to essentially rubble, or even less. Like the missions, I have not visited them all; I will write about the ones I have been to first, and fill in the others as time permits.
  1. Aztec Ruins National Monument (map / Wiki)
  2. Bandelier National Monument (map / Wiki)
  3. Blackwater Draw (map / Wiki)
  4. Casamero Pueblo (map / Wiki)
  5. Chaco Culture National Historical Park (map / Wiki)
  6. Coronado Historic Site (map / Wiki)
  7. Dittert Site (map / article)
  8. El Morro National Monument (map / Wiki)
  9. Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (map / Wiki)
  10. Hawikuh Ruins (map / Wiki)
  11. Petroglyphs National Monument (map / Wiki)
  12. Poshuouinge (map / Wiki)
  13. Pueblitos of Dinetah (map / Wiki) The sites are scattered throughout (mainly) Rio Arriba and San Juan Counties in north-western New Mexico; the map centers there. Check this article for more information.
  14. Puye Cliff Dwellings (map / Wiki)
  15. Salmon Ruins (map / Wiki)
  16. Three Rivers Petroglyph Site (map / Wiki)

Google Map:

Controls:
  • Use + /- or mouse wheel to zoom in and out.
  • Click to close the hand to move around.
  • (The two functions above are accomplished with two fingers on mobile devices.)
  • Click the square-with-arrow on the left to open or close the index of sites. (Works better if you zoom in first.)
  • Click the three-dot thingy in the upper right to share the map with others.
  • Click the "four corners" in the upper right to go to the full map.



Last updated June 11, 2019

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