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History · Arroyo Hondo

Half of Arroyo Hondo’s homes were built after 1985

Most of Arroyo Hondo was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: 2 old photos and papers and maps from 1952 on.

0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Arroyo Hondo’s archive · credits on each photo

What stands out about Arroyo Hondo’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Arroyo Hondo’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Arroyo Hondo’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewFilling station. The boys are pulling u…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Arroyo Hondo, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Arroyo Hondo yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Arroyo Hondo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Arroyo Hondo, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s1 item
Filling station. The boys are pulling up water in buckets for storage. The station boasts running water. Arroyo Hondo, …1940Filling station. The boys are pulling up water in buc…
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown1 to date
Upper Penitente Morada ChapelDate?Upper Penitente Morada Chapel
Today2 recent
Arroyo Hondo Open Space trail with I-252021Arroyo Hondo Open Space trail with I-25Arroyo Hondo New Mexico2021Arroyo Hondo New Mexico
On the map

Arroyo Hondo on the map, 1952 to 2002

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Arroyo Hondo. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Arroyo Hondo on the 1952 USGS mapArroyo Hondo on the 1977 USGS mapArroyo Hondo on the 2002 USGS map1952Seton Village sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Arroyo Hondo.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Filling station. The boys are pulling up water in buckets for storage. The station boasts running water. Arroyo Hondo, …
Retake this viewFilling station. The boys are pulling up water in buckets for storage. The station boasts running water. Arroyo Hondo, …, 1940

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Arroyo Hondo’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Arroyo Hondo

Nobody well known was born in Arroyo Hondo itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
A
Adrian GrenierAmerican actor, director, producer, musician · b. 1976
Ben Ray LujánU.S. Senator from New Mexico · b. 1972
Lori NelsonAmerican actress and model · b. 1933
Kenneth WalkerUnited States Air Force Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1898
L
Lucky VarelaAmerican politician · b. 1935
A
Augustine AbeytaTesuque Pueblo painter · b. 1914
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
La Loma

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

ConejoIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSeton VillageIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSunlit Hills1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Arroyo Hondo’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.