by John Mulhouse
Empty Desks
In Socorro County, New Mexico, tucked off a side road that parallels I-25, not far from a muddy stretch of the Rio Grande, is the little village of Contreras. This was where a man named Matías Contreras once raised cattle and sheep and gave his name to a small community. A post office opened in 1919 but closed in 1935.
Not far south of Contreras is La Joya, the literal end of the road, and, in fact, a map from 1918 has Contreras as Los Ranchos de la Joya. La Joya’s recorded history post-European contact goes back much farther, to 1598, when Juan de Oñate’s expedition found a Piro Indian pueblo there and called it Nueva Sevilleta because the setting reminded the Spanish explorers of Seville, Spain.
To me, the most striking building in Contreras is the old, long-empty school, naturally. I don’t know much about it, but I do know that students were attending classes there in the 1930’s. So perhaps it’s one of the many Works Progress Administration (WPA) structures built in the area around the time of the Great Depression. Nearby Alamillo has a WPA school that became (and might still be) a residence, although it looks quite different.
There used to be a plaque to the right of the front doors (see top photo), which I somehow managed to miss. Later I was told it commemorated some local folks involved with the school, but before I could get back to look more closely it had been removed. I don’t think it was stolen though; probably it was taken off because the building is in such poor condition. Maybe whoever has it will read this and tell us what it says! I should mention that I photographed the school a few years ago and not only is it in worse shape now, it’s also been fenced-off.
Otherwise, the San Jose Catholic Church, part of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, is well-maintained and hosts a fiesta in March. There are no going commercial or civic concerns, but there are some well-kept homes and, if you visit whilst under the vengeful eye of the relentless afternoon sun on a parched, triple-digit day, plenty of dust. Of course, as this is the blog for connoisseurs of dust, everything is as it should be with this trip to Contreras, New Mexico.
There’s not a lot out there on Contreras, so pretty much all the historical information for this post came from Robert Julyan’s trusty “The Place Names of New Mexico.”
I have a backlog of so many small towns and villages in New Mexico that I may well never get to them all at this rate. But I can keep trying! Next time I’ll just reach my hand into the hat and see what I pull out.
John Mulhouse moved to Albuquerque in 2009 after spending the previous decade in Minnesota, Georgia, Tennessee, and California. He loves the desert, realizes it doesn’t care too much about him, and thinks that’s all as it should be. More of his documentation of the lost, abandoned, beaten, and beautiful can be found at the City of Dust blog and the City of Dust Facebook page.
Any still reside in/near Contreras ? (505;414-2267
I’m Jess Contreras and am curious about the town.
I live in Edgewood ,nm
Joel Adrian Martinez from Contreras NM
Info @ Mpapamoose@yahoo.com
Class of 1957 La Joya High school
Lives In Albuquerque NM
I went to Elementary school in that “Old School” in the picture.
Hello sir,my name is Todd McNeil. I have lived in La joya N.M. for the last 20 years. Contreras is still alive and well. My Father Jim McNeil graduated from Mountainair HS in 1957 also and said Contreras was a hopping place back then as well as La Joya .
Rich, I love these and your photography. How about White Oak? The cemetery is where the deputy killed by Billy the Kid (during his escape from the noose) is buried. There are still a few homes and a saloon, the No Scum Allowed. Once the 2nd largest city in NM. Sic transit Gloria.
Thank you, Jerry, but the City of Dust posts are actually the work of the talented writer/photographer John Mulhouse. He has gathered a lot of his ghost town articles in “Abandoned New Mexico: Ghost Towns, Endangered Architecture, and Hidden History,” published by Fonthill Media, available at: https://cityofdust.bigcartel.com/.
My dad told me a story of going on train/bus in late 40s early 50s to visit his dad’s grandpa (paternal), Jose Contreras, born 1870s My grandpa was born 1913 in Albuquerque.
Faustino Contreras. Thought I could have distant relatives.
Info on Contreras NM I went to school there & I was born and raised there, My Grand parents and
Great-Grand Parents were Contreras I also live in Edgewood NM My Phone #is 505-688-0465
Joel Adrian Martinez
Do you know anything about the capilla in Contreras?
Late 60s thru 70s heavy “hippie” presence….less we forget.. Contreras and La Joya ….John and Eileen Corbin Rick Hill, Jim and Caroline Rogers ,Tony Vignelli, Richard and Carol -La Joya, Jah Son -La Joya (Rasta times) and so many more….Cabin and Mary the Warful brothers, Andy Donovan, Willow, Evergreen, Rocky, Jack and
Susan, and many many children and others I just can’t think of right now but probably will in the middle of some night. Some there for a little while….Some for years… Some buried on the hill. Should I mention the ‘Shrooms and grass? The music? The good and bad times? I think you can use your imagination. Peace!
Great picture, does anyone have a picture of the limitar school house, I’ve asked before in the limitar history site
Thanks for your comment, Alan! I’m afraid I don’t have a photo of the Lemitar School. Is it long gone? I assume so as the nearest school I can place from the immediate area is the Escondida School. The Escondida School is still there, although it’s falling down slowly but surely. I do have some photos of it if you’re interested.
Best, John
Paublita Tafoya married Ramon Torres from La Joya, NM. They owned a store in La Joya. Ramon Torres passed away then Paublita Tafoya Torres married Lorenzo Moya. Paublita and Lorenzo Moya lived in the little Adobe house on the left side of the road as you drive into Contreras, NM. Lorenzo Moya worked for the Santa Fe railroad on the track crew. The house they lived in is 3 houses north of the Contreras, NM school. In the 2nd house north of the school lived Bences Romero who married Marian Torres, Paublitas daughter. Bences Romero worked for the Motor Vehicle Division in Santa Fe. He signed up for World War 2 and went off to serve his country. He came back after serving his country and got a job with Socorro county as a road grader operator. The house west of Paublitas house was owned by Alvino Contreras. Alvino Contreras owned and operated A1 bail bonds in Albuquerque, NM for many years. He told me the Contreras family were pretty wealthy back in the day. He told me they got their wealth by selling carne seca aka beef jerky I believe he said it was Buffalo jerky to the gold rush miners in Colorado and they would get paid in gold. If you go to the Contreras cemetery and look you’ll see a monument that looks out of place even in this time. I believe that is the grave of the founder of Contreras. That monument just goes to show you how wealthy the family was back in their hay day. I talked to a guy who makes headstones and was dropping one off at the cemetery one day and he said that’s one of the oldest and fanciest grave markers he had seen around all the cemeteries he had been to for the time period that is inscribed on it.
So good to see the discussion about Contreras still alive. Here’s a a link to a radio documentary I produced and aired on KUNM Albuquerque last fall that delves into the history of Contreras’ neighboring community of La Joya and the Rio Abajo region of central New Mexico. The documentary includes original interviews I conducted in La Joya back in 1998 for KUNM as well as new ones in 2023. Many of the old-timers earlier interviewed are now gone. La Joya is featured prominently in the first 33 minutes or so of the program. Perhaps folks will recognize some of the people or know about some of the histories discussed.
https://www.kunm.org/volunteer-produced-public-affairs/2023-11-16/rio-grande-revisited-backroads-of-albuquerque