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History · Seboyeta

Seboyeta dates to 1749, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 5 old photos and papers and maps from 1957 on.

1749founded
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Seboyeta’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Seboyeta began

When was Seboyeta founded?

1749

Seboyeta dates its founding to 1749 (Wikipedia’s history).

2020 census: 164277 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓

What stands out about Seboyeta’s past

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

Older than the countryEstablished in 1749, 27 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Seboyeta, 1749 to 1957

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1749
    FoundingSeboyeta is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1898In the archiveDistant view of the pueblo of Cibolleta, New Mexico, ca.1898 (CHS-3912)
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900In the archiveIndians threshing wheat at the pueblo town of Cibolleta, New Mexico, ca.1900 (CHS-3916)
  7. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Seboyeta came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Seboyeta.

Read it all →

In 1746, Padre Juan Menchero persuaded several hundred members of the Navajo Tribe to settle at Cebolleta. A mission was established for the purpose of converting the Navajo to Christianity. The community was formally established in 1749, under the name of "Cebolleta", a word meaning "little onion." It was named for the nearby Cebolleta Mountains, now called the San Mateo Mountains. But in 1750, the Navajo rejected the efforts and returned to their own lands.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Seboyeta, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1900s5 items
Distant view of the pueblo of Cibolleta, New Mexico, ca.1898 (CHS-3912)c. 1898Distant view of the pueblo of Cibolleta, New Mexico, …Overlooking the lava fields at Cibolleta, New Mexico, ca.1898 (CHS-4556)c. 1898Overlooking the lava fields at Cibolleta, New Mexico,…Town meeting in the pueblo of Cibolleta, New Mexico, ca.1898 (CHS-3914)c. 1898Town meeting in the pueblo of Cibolleta, New Mexico, …Indians threshing wheat at the pueblo town of Cibolleta, New Mexico, ca.1900 (CHS-3916)c. 1900Indians threshing wheat at the pueblo town of Cibolle…Three Indian fighters shown indoors, at the pueblo of Cibolleta, New Mexico, ca.1900 (CHS-3915)c. 1900Three Indian fighters shown indoors, at the pueblo of…
1910s–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
On the map

Seboyeta on the map in 1957

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Seboyeta.

Seboyeta on the 1957 USGS map1957Seboyeta 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 Seboyeta.

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.

Distant view of the pueblo of Cibolleta, New Mexico, ca.1898 (CHS-3912)
Retake this viewDistant view of the pueblo of Cibolleta, New Mexico, ca.1898 (CHS-3912), c. 1898

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Seboyeta

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

See all →
P
Paula Gunn AllenAmerican writer · b. 1939
M
Marvin StephensAmerican film actor · b. 1922
Lee MarmonAmerican photographer · b. 1925
C
Clemente SanchezAmerican politician · b. 1958
F
Frank HudsonAmerican football player · b. 1875
J
Jack WallaceAmerican football player and coach · b. 1925
Help out

Finish Seboyeta’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 viewDistant view of the pueblo of Cibolleta…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

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

Questions about Seboyeta’s history

What year was Seboyeta founded?

In 1749, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town.

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 (5), Wikipedia, 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.