Agua Fria’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold just one old photo of Agua Fria. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Native Americans lived in this area circa 3,000-3,500 BCE because of the water availability and moderate temperatures (about 30 fewer freezing days than in Santa Fe). Recent archaeological work shows a presence in this area back to 7,000 BCE.
The Spanish under command of Juan de Oñate passed through this area on the way to founding the first capital of New Mexico San Gabriel in 1598 (near present-day Ohkay Owingeh). The first recorded settlement was circa 1640 by the grandparents of Major Roque Madrid (the area then known as Pueblo Quemado for a burnt native town in the area). The grandfather Francisco de Madrid may have 'dropped off' from a 1603 expedition to farm this area (he is the namesake of Madrid, New Mexico, a mining area).
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Agua Fria’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Agua Fria’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewAgua Fria, New Mexico, 1900, c. 1900: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Agua Fria, decade by decade
1990s
Nothing in Agua Fria is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Agua Fria has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Fairview Cemetery in Santa Fe, 3.3 miles away.
Agua Fria and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Agua Fria, New Mexico, 1900 (c. 1900) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (5). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.