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Posted in New Mexico History December 28, 2016 by Juliet White

16 Rare Photos From New Mexico That Will Take You Straight To The Past

New Mexico is a state that’s steeped in history but it’s still hard to imagine how places have changed over time and what life used to be like in the Land of Enchantment. These 16 rare images show what New Mexico’s urban and rural areas once looked like and make it easier to imagine days gone by.

1. In 1914, this is what the town of Mogollon looked like during a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

2. Missionaries on the Mescalero Apache Reservation documented this outdoor quilting circle in 1916.

3. Nambe Falls tumbles down the rocks in 1914.

4. Workers in the Pecos Valley try to eliminate the codling moth, an agricultural pest commonly found in orchards. This picture was snapped in 1914.

5. The main street of Clayton was certainly less developed in 1904, but Eklund Hotel – which you can still see today – had already been built.

6. In 1906, UNM assembled its first baseball team.

7. It’s hard to believe that this is what the main drag in Portales looked like in 1904.

8. Brazos Canyon was a place of stunning natural beauty in 1912 and remains so to this day.

9. Children waited to enter the Government Navajo Indian school in Tohatchi. This photo dates back to around 1901.

10. This is what the dormitories at the school looked like during that time.

11. This image of Capulin Volcano was taken in 1916, the year that it became a national monument.

12. Today, the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell consists of imposing buildings spread across a substantial campus. This is what it looked like in 1904.

13. The Avalon Dam, which spans the Pecos River, is located five miles north of Carlsbad. This image depicts the dam in 1903 - a year later it was washed out during flooding. The United States Bureau of Reclamation constructed the latest version in 1907.

14. The New Mexico Behavior Health Institute was built in 1889. This picture captures the state’s first asylum as it appeared in 1904.

15. Thankfully, the Puye Cliff Dwellings haven’t changed much since 1900, when this photo was taken. This national historic landmark is located within Santa Clara Pueblo, close to Espanola.

16. The village of Agua Fria in Santa Fe is a “traditional historic community.” Here is one of the houses in Agua Fria around the year 1900.

Do these pictures help the past to come to life for you?

If you’re interested in our state’s past, check out these historic New Mexico towns and historical landmarks.

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Staff writer for Only In Your State and freelance writer. Juliet can be reached on Twitter @JulietWrites.