New Mexico is known for its southwestern cuisine, rich history, and its spectacular and varied landscapes. But the Land of Enchantment filled with usually friendly people holds a lesser-known but horrific claim as well: as the site of one of the most violent prison riots in America history. Here’s more about what 1980 prison riot at the state’s maximum security prison south of Santa Fe:

The Penitentiary of New Mexico is a men's maxium security prison located in Santa Fe County.
Skarz/WikiMedia Commons
It originally opened in 1885. It has had three deadly riots since opening.
A former unit, now known as "Old Main," was built in 1956 following a riot at the prison in 1953 in which two inmates were killed and many others were wounded.
killbox/Flickr
It was here that mayhem happened in 1980.
Deplorable conditions created a ticking time bomb.
killbox/Flickr
Extreme overcrowding, poor food, and poor management of prisoners were to blame.
A group of violent prisoners were temporarily housed in a dormitory-style cellblock instead of maximum security due to construction.
Denise Womack-Avila/Flickr
Only one guard was assigned to 100 prisoners in the area.

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In February 1980, inmates took over the facility and wreaked havoc for 36 hours.
killbox/Flickr
Many banded together to rampage through Old Main, torturing and murdering other inmates.
Denise Womack-Avila/Flickr
"Snitches" were the prisoners most targeted. Not all prisoners participated in the riot, however. Some simply tried to find a safe place to wait it out.
A total of 33 prisoners died during the riot and about 200 more were injured or suffered from drug overdoses.
Denise Womack-Avila/Flickr
After the riot, numerous reforms were put into place. Old Main was repaired and reopened for another 18 years before being permanently closed in 1998.
Denise Womack-Avila/Flickr
A newer maximum-security prison is located across from Old Main. Most of the old building area is abandoned.

Tours of “Old Main” are periodically offered by the New Mexico Corrections Department, with admission prices going toward revitalizing the abandoned building into a full-time museum. Its focus will center on the department’s focus of “Respecting our past to create a better future.”

Would you tour the now-abandoned building with such a morbid history? For a related content, learn more about these 9 spine-tingling hauntings said to be true in New Mexico.

 

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