This Creepy Ghost Town In New Mexico Is The Stuff Nightmares Are Made Of

Abandoned buildings and even entire towns litter the land here. That’s because New Mexico’s history is closely tied to mining and railroads. As a result, many places experienced a brief period of prosperity, followed by a bust. Some people find the uninhabited or barely-occupied ghost towns left behind fascinating, while to others they’re just plain creepy. Cuervo is one such town.

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Cuervo sprang to life at the start of the 20th century. This little railroad town was chugging along just fine. It benefitted from the construction of Route 66, which passed through town. While it wasn't going to win any "most likely to succeed" awards, it was hanging in there.

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Then came I-40. The interstate literally severed Cuervo in two. The wound proved fatal.

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Cuervo does have some residents - 58 of them, to be precise. It retains its own ZIP Code and, until 2011, it had a post office. Once the post office closed down, Cuervo became unincorporated.

A local garage seems vaguely operational but, for all intents and purposes, Cuervo is a ghost town.

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It's eerie to wander around these empty buildings, witnessing people's discarded dreams. Couches, with springs protruding, sit in vacant living rooms - an illusion of hospitality. There's a stove in one of the kitchens, but no one around to cook. Wind gusts through shattered or missing windows, creating a foreboding and melancholy soundtrack.

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Husks of abandoned cars were left to rust.

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Cuervo's Catholic stone church is the best-preserved of the buildings. But its doors are barred to worshippers.

As far as ghost towns go, Cuervo is easily accessible – right off I-40, east of Santa Rosa. The convenience of its location sometimes means problems and possibly even crimes, as discussed in this KRQE video.

Some people claim to have had paranormal experiences in the town. (Warning: this video contains some profanity at the end.)

Is Cuervo a literal ghost town or is it haunted by human predators? Maybe it’s just an abandoned spot in New Mexico that is frozen in time.

Have you visited? What was your experience in Cuervo?