NUESTRA SEÑORA DE GUADALUPE, EL MACHO

Last Friday, our Program Director, Jake Barrow, and board members, Diantha McJilton, Eva Schmatz, and Boni Armijo, along with Granddaughter M’Kaylie Armijo, met with community members of El Macho, NM, at their beloved Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Mission.

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was built in 1857. It is constructed of adobe and contains a stone ribbon footing with a ribbed metal panel roof. A 1962 renovation saw the original sacristy removed, and was replaced with modern materials on the other side of the building. The south wall shows signs of horizontal and vertical cracking, which may be related to the removal of the sacristy. A photograph of the original sacristy would be helpful to confirm this; hopefully, one will emerge. We discussed what could be done to repair the wall and other interventions to prevent further damage to the building. In 2021 the mission families began fundraising to rebuild the south wall. So far, they have raised over $60k from mostly small contributions. We love to see it!

From L to R: Community members Victor Ortiz, Richard Roybal, Irene Romero, Mary Biles. Cornerstones crew Boni Armijo, Granddaughter M'Kaylie Armijo, Diantha McJilton, Eva Schmatz. Photo by Jake Barrow.

Shoring was put in place in 2021 to brace the vulnerable south wall and support the weight of the roof. The shoring spans eleven vigas. Photo by Jake Barrow.

Stained glass window. Photo by Jake Barrow.

SAN MIGUEL DEL VADO

In early February, community members of San Miguel del Vado (sometimes spelled "Bado") contacted us about a building held by the San Miguel del Vado Land Grant. Jake met up with Louis Gallegos, one of the land grant officials, who provided the tour of the building- an adobe structure with few windows and a later addition timber-framed pitched roof (partially collapsed).

San Miguel del Vado is the founding settlement of the land grant of the same name. The village is located on the west bank of the Rio Pecos along Highway 3 south of Interstate 25. The San Miguel del Vado Land Grant was the first major community land grant to expand the periphery of Spanish settlement on the eastern frontier of New Mexico. Following Mexican Independence in 1821, it served as an important commerce point between the United States and Mexico along the Santa Fe Trail.

In 1794 Lorenzo Marquez, for himself and on behalf of fifty-one other Santa Fe families, asked Governor Fernando Chacón to make them a land grant at the place called "El Vado." Governor Chacón made the grant to the petitioners under the condition that the vecinos (citizens of the land grant) build a fortified plaza and dig an irrigation ditch to deliver water to the fields, and for governing, maintaining and defending their community.

The building remains somewhat of a mystery. It is clear that the original roof was flat, and the defensive style design (few windows, bars) would indicate it could date to the colonial period. There is currently no record of occupation; more research is needed. The community is very enthusiastic about saving their building, and we hope to help them do so!

Gable end and partially collapsed roof. Photo by Jake Barrow.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
FOR CLEANING THE RAEL ACEQUIA

We’re excited to enter our fifth season working on the Rael Ranch near La Cienega. Every year as the days grow longer and spring approaches, we return to clean the Rael Acequia to bring water back to the old apple, apricot, pear, plums, quince, and mulberry trees. After 300+ years of continual use, the Rael Acequia needs annual maintenance and some more major repairs.

Like past years, we are looking for volunteers to help shovel debris, cut back overgrown brush, and help reconstruct portions of the embankment with the on-site stone and clay. Please email issac@cstones.org with your name, phone number, and availability for more details. We’ll be working on the acequia through the month of March and first two weeks of April.