Chimayo’s post office opened in 1894, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 65% of U.S. towns. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the El Santuario de Chimayo, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 13 buildings.
How Chimayo began
When was Chimayo founded?
The Chimayo post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name.
How historic is Chimayo?
More historic than 65% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
What drives Chimayo’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chimayo is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
New Mexico towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical New Mexico town has 2.2 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Chimayo’s 58.6 sits above most of its state (88% of New Mexico towns have fewer) while its 14 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
2 listings protect 14 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.
★ LandmarkAll 2 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Chimayo’s post office has been open since 1894.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Chimayo’s history
What year was Chimayo founded?
The Chimayo post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Chimayo rank for history?
Chimayo is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Chimayo?
Two places: the El Santuario de Chimayo (listed 1970) and the Plaza del Cerro (1972).
How old are the homes in Chimayo?
14% of Chimayo’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.6 points), against a typical 2.3% for a New Mexico town; the median home was built in 1979.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From the National Register of Historic Places (2), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.