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B−History
History · Pecos

Pecos’ post office opened in 1883, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 53% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Pecos was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Pecos National Monument, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 6 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1961 on and the census since 1880.

1883first post office
3on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Pecos began

When was Pecos founded?

1883

The Pecos post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 241 in 18802020 census: 1,392143 years

How historic is Pecos?

B−

More historic than 53% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Pecos post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Pecos’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pecos is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pecos’ overall grade.
Founding era1883, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19406.7% of homes (±5.5) · typical NM town 2.3% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register3 listings, 7 historic buildings, 58.1 per 10,000 residents · typical NM town 2.2 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 53%
NewerOlder

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 Pecos’ 58.1 sits above most of its state (87% of New Mexico towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

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 →

What stands out about Pecos’ past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Pecos are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A National Historic Landmark3 places on the National Register, including Pecos National Monument, a National Historic Landmark.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Pecos’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

3 historic places in Pecos

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmark
1
Pecos National Monument
historic buildings protected
7
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Pecos National Monument
San Antonio de Padua Church
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Romanesque1
★ Landmark
Pecos National MonumentBuilt 1965
San Antonio de Padua ChurchRomanesque
Pecos National Historical ParkBuilt 1965

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

The story so far

Pecos, in brief

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

Pecos is a village in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, Pecos had a population of 1,392. The village has been shrinking slower than other parts of San Miguel County, partly because Pecos is within commuting distance of Santa Fe. The village is built along the Pecos River, which flows from the north out of the Santa Fe National Forest. Notable locations nearby include Pecos National Historical Park, Glorieta Pass, and Pecos Benedictine Monastery. It is also an entry point for hunting, fishing, hiking and camping in the Pecos Wilderness. The closest metropolitan area is the Santa Fe metropolitan area, approximately 26 miles (42 km) to the west.

Its first post office opened in 1883. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,392 in 2010, 1,392 in 2020.

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

Timeline

Pecos, 1883 to 1965

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883Post officeThe Pecos post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1935Born hereLucky Varela is born here
  5. 1960LandmarkPecos National Monument named a National Historic Landmark
  6. 1961On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1965BuiltPecos National Monument is built
  8. 1965BuiltPecos National Historical Park is built
By decade

Pecos, decade by decade

Today12 recent
June 2013, Open Page for this Picture to View Air Operations, Photo Series, Tres Lagunas Fire Helibase2013June 2013, Open Page for this Picture to View Air Ope…Glorieta Creek2013Glorieta CreekEchinocereus triglochiatus, Claretcup Cactus2013Echinocereus triglochiatus, Claretcup Cactus2013 - View South, West Acequia20132013 - View South, West Acequia2013 - View North, West Acequia20132013 - View North, West Acequia2013 - Summit Helicopters Inc. N2773H Bell 205A-1, Medium Helitack Helicopter20132013 - Summit Helicopters Inc. N2773H Bell 205A-1, Me…2013 - Rainier Helicopter N699RH K-MAX K-1200 Aerial Lift Truck, Long Line and Three Water Buckets20132013 - Rainier Helicopter N699RH K-MAX K-1200 Aerial …2013 - Rainier Helicopter N699RH K-MAX K-1200 Aerial Lift Truck with Long Line and Firefighting "Bambi Bucket"20132013 - Rainier Helicopter N699RH K-MAX K-1200 Aerial …2013 - Rainier Helicopter N699RH K-MAX K-1200 Aerial Lift Truck20132013 - Rainier Helicopter N699RH K-MAX K-1200 Aerial …2013 - Rainier Helicopter N699RH K-MAX K-1200 Aerial Lift Truck - panoramio (1)20132013 - Rainier Helicopter N699RH K-MAX K-1200 Aerial …2013 - Pilot's Notes - Rainier Helicopter N699RH K-MAX K-1200 Aerial Lift Truck20132013 - Pilot's Notes - Rainier Helicopter N699RH K-MA…NMMap-doton-Pecos2004NMMap-doton-Pecos
On the map

Pecos on the map, 1961 to 2002

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

Pecos on the 1961 USGS mapPecos on the 2002 USGS map1961Pecos 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 Pecos.

People over time

Pecos, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,441

Between 241 and 1,441 people in every census since 1880.

8 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pecos’ Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

East PecosIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Pecos’ history

What year was Pecos founded?

The Pecos post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Pecos rank for history?

Pecos is more historic than 53% 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 Pecos?

Three places: the Pecos National Monument (listed 1966), the San Antonio de Padua Church (1978) and the Pecos National Historical Park (1991).

How old are the homes in Pecos?

7% of Pecos’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 2.3% for a New Mexico town; the median home was built in 1987.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.