Madrid was the first town I came to along the beautiful Turquoise Trail, the scenic byway which connects Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Pronounced MAD-rid for some maddening reason, I couldn’t find a clear story as to how the town got its name. The earliest Europeans in the area most likely came from Spain, but it doesn’t appear that Madrid got its name until New Mexico was an American territory. First lead and then coal were mined in the surrounding hills and in 1892 a 6 mile spur was built to connect the town to the Santa Fe Railway. By 1906, coal mining in the area was consolidated under the Albuquerque and Cerrillos Coal Company and a company town grew to a population of over 3,000, more than that of Albuquerque at the time. In 1922, Madrid boasted the only baseball field with lights west of the Mississippi River, and the Brooklyn Dodgers’ minor league affiliate the Madrid Miners played there for many years. The mines did well until the early 1950s and in 1954 the Coal Company left Madrid and many of the residents went with them. By the early 1970s, Madrid was almost a ghost town but then artists discovered the town and started moving in. Today, Madrid is a vibrant and colorful town with many reminders of the old mining town that it once was, but truly reborn as an artists’ colony and a tourism destination. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Madrid, New Mexico.

The Old Boarding House Mercantile

Turquoise Gem Workshop

The Moonbow Dragon

Madrid Gift Emporium

Play us a Song

Cowgirl Red

The Mine Shaft Tavern

I Love This Wagon

Connie’s Photo Park

Colorful Ghost Town Trading Post

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Bric-a-Brac

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Along the Turquoise Trail

Artsy Mailboxes

Gifted Hands

The Metal Mariachi Band

The Weather Bon

Mine Shaft Cantina

Beautiful Art on the Wall

A Colorful Array

Cool Yard Art

The Roadrunner

Old Coal Town Museum

Wild Hogs Diner

Cool Soda Fountain Sign

The Hollar

Colorful Shops

I Love This House

This One is Cool Too

The Trading Bird

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