A few years ago, I turned left off State Road 3 onto a narrow dirt road. The road twisted and turned. It was rough and full of pot holes. “Should I turn back,” I asked myself. Since I like to explore backroads, I kept going. Six miles later a view of a small picturesque village was my reward. This was my introduction to El Cerrito, one of the most remote villages in Northern New Mexico.
Discovering El Cerrito’s Remoteness
During the pandemic I photographed many remote areas of Northern New Mexico where I rarely saw another person. El Cerrito was certainly a remote village, and I decided to photograph it as well. Despite previous visits, I had never approached the village from the north. It was worth a try I thought. I exited I 25 at Bernal and followed a narrow dirt road that dead-ended abruptly. I reversed my course and headed back to Bernal’s only store for directions. I knocked on the door and an old woman appeared. She pointed south, and I headed off again.
This time the road deteriorated rapidly. I bottomed out and found myself zigging zagging from one side of the road to the other to avoid the ruts. “This isn’t working I told myself.” I gave up and was content to make a few images of Bernal’s church next to the store. I vowed to try again.
The next time I chose my usual way, 12 miles on State Road 3 through Villanueva, and a left turn onto the narrow dirt road I knew well. After six miles, I was once again looking down at the picturesque little village of El Cerrito.
The History of El Cerrito
I parked by the church. No one was visible until Joe Quintana came out of his house to ask what I was doing. When he understood that I was truly interested in his village and had braved the road several times before, he was friendly. He provided an unsolicited history of the village. “My family”, he said, “goes way back”.
Founded in 1824 as part of the San Miguel del Vado Grant, El Cerrito has been home to eight generation of Hispanic families. It was originally a fortified village with a church in the center and contiguous adobe houses around the plaza. Because of its remoteness, El Cerrito is a window into New Mexico’s Hispanic past. It has remained relatively unchanged almost 200 years.
The village was at its prime in the early 1900’s when hundreds of small villages were located throughout Northern New Mexico. People farmed, herded and raised livestock. They also worked as carpenters, blacksmiths and seamstresses.
The Decline of El Cerrito
Since the early 1900’s, however, the population has declined. In 2000, 22 people in 11 families lived in El Cerrito. No one can survive on cattle and crops alone, and most people commute to jobs elsewhere. El Cerrito has no services, gas stations, grocery stores, or schools. At times the two dirt roads that connect the village to the outside world are impassable. Joe emphasized that life in El Cerrito is difficult. “It requires a real commitment to survive despite the hardships”.
Joe stated that before he retired, he commuted 26 miles to Las Vegas where he worked for many years as a special education teacher. His wife, who is also retired, was a school administrator. I said good bye to Joe and went off to photograph the village. He called after me, “watch out for rattlesnakes, we saw two on the road just the other day.”