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History · Mora

Mora dates to 1835, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the St. Vrain's Mill. Below: 12 old photos and papers and maps from 1965 on.

1835founded
1on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Mora’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Mora began

When was Mora founded?

1835

Mora dates its founding to 1835 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1864.

2020 census: 547191 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1864.The full story ↓

What stands out about Mora’s past

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

A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers.Deep rootsEstablished in 1835: 191 years of Mora.
★ What stands out · By decade

Mora, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s12 items
Bartender1939BartenderOrchard. Mora River Valley near Mora, New Mexico1939Orchard. Mora River Valley near Mora, New MexicoOrchard1939OrchardSpanish-American residents of Mora, New Mexico1939Spanish-American residents of Mora, New MexicoSpanish-American residents of Mora, New Mexico1939Spanish-American residents of Mora, New MexicoLarge Spanish-American farm specializing in fruits. Mora River Valley near Mora, New Mexico1939Large Spanish-American farm specializing in fruits. M…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Orchard1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: OrchardUntitled photo, possibly related to: Bartender1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: BartenderUntitled photo, possibly related to: Large Spanish-American farm specializing in fruits. Mora River Valley near Mora, N…1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Large Spanish-Am…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Spanish-American residents of Mora, New Mexico1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Spanish-American…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Spanish-American residents of Mora, New Mexico1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Spanish-American…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Spanish-American residents of Mora, New Mexico1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Spanish-American…
1940s–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
Timeline

Mora, 1835 to 1965

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1835
    FoundingMora is established
  3. 1864BuiltSt. Vrain's Mill is built
  4. 1864Post officeThe Mora post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1939In the archiveBartender
  7. 1965On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Mora came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Mora.

Read it all →

Spanish settlers had sporadically occupied what is now known as the Mora Valley since the late 18th century. The surviving written history of the settlement of Mora dates to 1818, when a group of settlers petitioned to build a church in what was then named "Lo de Mora"; or in long form Santa Gertrudis de lo de Mora; they had come from San Juan de los Caballeros (originally Caypa Pueblo, and today named Ohkay Owingeh).

ChaptersEarly settlement of the areaThe town

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Mora on the map, 1965 to 2002

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

Mora on the 1965 USGS mapMora on the 2002 USGS map1965Mora 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 Mora.

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.

Bartender
Retake this viewBartender, 1939

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Mora

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
St. Vrain's Mill
St. Vrain's Mill, built 1864
Sites
St. Vrain's MillBuilt 1864

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Mora

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

See all →
Wally FunkAmerican aviator and astronaut · b. 1939
C
Chiara AureliaAmerican actress · b. 2002
Teresa Leger FernandezAmerican attorney and politician · b. 1959
David HykesAmerican music therapist · b. 1953
Ezequiel Cabeza De BacaGovernor of New Mexico · b. 1864
A
Al HurricaneAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1936
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Mora’s post office has been open since 1864.

Hamlets and corners on the map
CordilleraEl AltoSanta Gertrudis
Gone or out of use
Mica Minemine
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Mora
Mora Presbyterian ChurchPresbyterianSaint GertrudeSaint VrainSanta Gertrudes

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Mora’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBartender: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Mora’s history

What year was Mora founded?

In 1835, according to Wikidata. Mora’s post office opened in 1864.

What is on the National Register in Mora?

One place: the St. Vrain's Mill (listed 1973).

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 the Library of Congress (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.