Cemetery discovered in New Mexico

The town of Bernalillo recently uncovered 200 years of history when Neighbors discovered an abandoned cemetery covered in shrubbery south of U.S. Highway 550 near the railroad.

Although residents walk past the rubble often, it is interesting that so many (for whatever reason) had never actually pieced together that the area was once a burial ground.

Some of the graves date back to the 1800s. Like so many forgotten resting places, vandals and the elements have destroyed headstones, while other headstones have been marked with rocks. About 100 people are buried there, but no one seems to know who they were. The state archives, the local Archdiocese and the neaby church all had only partial records of those who rest there and there is no complete data of who is buried in those graves. Curiously, it is now coming to light that no one is positive who even owns the land. Father Stephen Imbarrato of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Bernalillo did not know his church owned the property until it was recently rediscovered.

Volunteers with the 4-H club and the Knights of Columbus in Bernalillo helped clean up the cemetery and weeded the grounds; the Knights of Columbus are planing to make 80 crosses to identify the unmarked graves. As for identifying the bodies, Clergy is inquiring around the parish in the hopes to find information.

If you think your relative is buried there, call Our Lady of Sorrows in Bernalillo at (505) 867-5252.