New Mexico is an intriguing place; it’s a mix of desert and mountains, with deep and rich roots – and lots of folklore and legends. Taos is allegedly one of New Mexico’s most haunted small towns. While Taos appears to be a sleepy little mountain town, things, as they say, are not quite what they seem. Both in town and on the outskirts, there are numerous rumors and stories about ghosts, hauntings, and paranormal activity. Add it all up, and you’ll soon see that Taos is one of New Mexico’s most haunted small towns.

With a population of around 6,000, Taos is one of New Mexico's smaller towns.
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Taos is framed by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, about an hour and a half from Santa Fe. These looming mountains are simultaneously majestic and foreboding.
This Northern New Mexico town was established in 1615. And with a town this old, there's bound to be some ghosts.
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Taos, it seems, is full of ghosts -- and the people there are proud of this haunted heritage.
Taos Pueblo has been occupied for nearly a millennium.
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It's estimated that the pueblo was built between 1000 and 1450 A.D., and is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States.
The pueblo was a community of dwellings, trading outposts and religious places.
WC-Travelers-75/TripAdvisor
The Spaniards arrived in Taos in the 1500s, and by 1620, the first Catholic Church in the pueblo, San Geronimo de Taos, was constructed. This act of colonization was not well received by the Native Americans living there.
Throughout the 1600s, the clash of the invaders and the native peoples reached a crescendo. There were uprisings at Taos Pueblo.
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By 1660, the native people had killed the resident priest and destroyed the church - which was rebuilt, only to be destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, which cost the lives of the two priests living there. These grounds are now packed with ghosts and unsettling paranormal activity.
Kit Carson was an American frontiersman who is remembered as an icon of the frontiersman days of the American West.
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He's buried at the eponymous cemetery, along with three unmarked graves. As the legend goes, these graves are rumored to belong to the brujas, or witches, of Taos. Their graves are set apart from the others and blacktop covers the site, so the witches or their lingering powers stay sealed in.
The Kit Carson Home and Museum was built around 1825 and purchased by Carson as a wedding gift for his third wife, Maria Josefa Jaramillo.
Kit Carson Museum website
It's at this house where people say they have felt the presence of Carson.
The ghost is supposedly a benevolent spirit.
Kit Carson Museum website
Nevertheless, the Kit Carson Museum is a frequent destination for Taos haunted tours.
In town, the Taos Inn is another place awash in ghost sightings.
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Apparently, the Taos Inn abuts a home where a deviant was found beheaded. (Not sure I'd risk spending the night here...)
Nearby, the 400-year-old Alley Cantina is another popular place for ghost sightings.
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The cantina owners have reported items moving on their own, candles lighting up on their own, and other paranormal activity. Even more unsettling, Alley Cantina diners have reported a ghost’s arm wrapping around them in the ladies room.
In fact, the whole of Downtown Taos's Historic Adobe Plaza is awash in mystery.
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Ghost tours frequent many places within Adobe Plaza, with several hotels and buildings revealing a ghost world all their own.

Taos is one of New Mexico’s most haunted small towns, and it is a beautiful enigma full of history… and ghosts. Would you be brave enough to visit this haunted New Mexico town? Let us know in the comments below! And for more haunted places in New Mexico, check out these five haunted cemeteries in New Mexico if you dare.

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Most Haunted Town in New Mexico

Tori Jane | August 20, 2022

Where is Taos New Mexico?  

Taos is easily one of the most scenic small towns in New Mexico, located within the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and stuffed chock-full of historical places, buildings, and fun stuff to do. Of course, no town with as much history as Taos has is without its ghosts, and Taos is no different. Taos is said to be one of the most haunted towns in New Mexico – if not the most haunted – and you can do all sorts of things to celebrate it, like embarking upon a ghost hunting tour or checking out some of its notoriously haunted spots on your own.  

What kind of New Mexico paranormal activity has there been?  

New Mexico is probably our pick for one of the most haunted states in the United States. It seems like everywhere you turn, there are ghost stories, and some are more terrifying than others. Go to Albuquerque and experience the old Hotel Parq Central, which was once a psychiatric hospital but is now an upscale hotel. Its history casts a shadow, though, and many creepy things are said to happen here. In Cimarron, visit the St. James Hotel, which was built back in 1872 and played host to literal shootouts back in the wild western days. There have been more than 26 murders here to date, making it another one of New Mexico’s most haunted destinations. It seems most of the ghosts of New Mexico are born from violent pasts, and New Mexico is definitely the place for that kind of history.  

What is New Mexico’s most haunted small town?  

It’s almost impossible to quantify, honestly. Taos lays claim to being one of the most haunted towns in New Mexico, and Santa Fe, as the oldest city in New Mexico, might also be one of the most haunted. The town of Clayton is home to no less than four infamously haunted places, and Las Cruces is also notoriously creepy after dark. New Mexico is a place of bizarre fun and all kinds of weird – but we embrace it here.  

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Taos, NM 87571, USA