Nuestra Señora de Luz Church and Cemetery

Before the construction of the Nuestra Señora de Luz Church, there were some records saying that community members of Cañoncito, New Mexico had weddings, christenings, and funerals held at the parish. However, due to a change of priests and a lack of records, the act date of the church being constructed and opening to the public is not exactly known. Yet, there are documents showing that the parish's owner, Maria de la Luz Borrego donated the property to Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Salpointe around 1891. Salpointe was the first archbishop of Arizona and the second archbishop of Santa Fe. Salpointe was assigned over 200 mile parish in Mora, New Mexico, and he helped established several schools and churches for various communities in New Mexico.

Again, not much is said about the construction of the church, but it was said to be built between 1880-1891. The one-story rectangular adobe chapel has an orange metal, front-gable roof, but in 1985, it was replaced with the same materials. A large wooden crucifix on a concrete base stands on the center of the walkway line with the entrance. Leading into the chapel, there is a short concrete walkway, and the church and the land was originally surrounded by large wooden fencing and gate. Later, the wooden fencing was switched to wire fencing and stone. Measuring at 22 inches thick, the adobe are covered with concrete stucco on the exterior and plaster on the interior, and its rest on a 3 to 4 foot wide foundation of native stone and mud mortar. The main facade of the church is unbroken but for the centered double doors of the main entrance, a small, fixed-pane window in the top of the gable. Inside of the church, the nave and sanctuary's flooring is made of plywood; the ceiling is made of exposed, square, pine beams and planks of regular width without distinction between the two areas. Originally, the flooring was nothing more than just an exposed dirt floor.

Surrounding the church, the cemetery is composed of various types of tombstones. The tombstones include wooden crucifixes, small metal crosses with nameplates, and concrete markers. There are also sandstone and granite tombstones. The earliest now visible and legible appear to date from the 1890s. A few plots are outlined in bricks or low wire fencing, and in a few cases, earth is mounded high over the graves and tombstones.

From the time it was constructed, the church served as a gathering place for the Sunday masses, weddings, funerals, baptisms, and other social events. Several alterations have been made to the church's woodwork, yet some of the walls and paint have been damaged by water and severe weather conditions. In 1995, the Nuestra Señora de Luz Church and its cemetery were listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its historical and architectural significance in Cañoncito, New Mexico. The church was constructed by members of a small outlying primarily Hispanic settlement during a period when it was extremely difficult for parishioners to travel for church services. The church architecturally represents the continuance into the late Territorial Period of a tradition of church building that began with 17th century Spanish Colonial mission churches. Like other churches before Nuestra Señora de Luz, it was inspired by rectangular churches that had been built in the countryside during the Colonial and Mexican periods as Spanish settlement spread in New Mexico. In addition, the church and cemetery were individually listed on the State Register of Cultural Properties in 1986.

Jordan, Terry G. Texas Graveyards: A Cultural Legacy. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1982.

Sze, Corrine P.,"Nuestra Señora de Luz Church & Cemetery," National Register of Historic Places. December 14th 1995. Accessed July 12th 2020. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/95001452_text.