Bueyeros, NM

Travel 29 miles north of Mosquero on Hwy 102 to the turnoff to the remote little rancho settlement of Bueyeros, settled in 1878.  At first the settlement was called Vigil, because the Vigil brothers ran cattle there, but it was later called Bueyeros. Around 1879, several Hispanic settlers brought cattle here. Some were oxen drivers, or "bueyeros."   It is still an agricultural community.

During the 1920s and 1930s dry ice was produced here because of the presence of the Bravo Dome, a huge carbon dioxide gas field beneath Harding County.

Sacred Heart Of Jesus Catholic Church

Its Mission of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, (Iglesia de la Sagrado Corazon de Jesus) was built in 1894.  The unusual Catholic church at Bueyeros boasts a French style of architecture.  The stone church has turquoise trim and a copper steeple.  Antonio Maize, a local stone mason, did most of the stone work.  Original frescos color the ceiling with the art of history.  The wall behind the altar is painted like stained glass, in jewel tones of rose, turquoise, gold and pink.  The altar rail, painted in the same colors, resembles a miniature Victorian fence.  The confessional is from Santa Fe's St. Francis Cathedral, and the baptismal is 100 years old. There is a 17th Century carving of Santiago (St. James) the patron saint of cowboys.

Bueyeros School
NM 102, 0.25 mi. W of Bueyeros Church

Bueyeros Post Office

Interesting Sites