Truchas, New Mexico facts for kids
Truchas is a small community in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. It's called a census-designated place, which means it's a special area the government counts for population. Truchas is located on the beautiful High Road to Taos, right in the middle of Santa Fe to the south and Taos to the north.
The area around Truchas, including the nearby village of Cordova, New Mexico, had about 560 people living there in 2010. The ZIP code for Truchas is 87578.
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Discovering Truchas: A Historic Village
Truchas sits high up on a ridge, making it a unique place. It started as a Spanish land grant in 1754. This means the Spanish government gave a large piece of land to a group of settlers. The full name of the grant was "Nuestra Señora del Rosario, San Fernando y Santiago del Rio de las Truchas Grant."
The Truchas Name: What Does It Mean?
The land grant is usually just called the Truchas Land Grant. It got its name from a nearby river that provides water for farming. The word Truchas is Spanish for "trout," a type of fish.
Exploring the Historic Church
In the middle of the village, you'll find a church from the early 1800s called Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Inside, there are two large altar-screens, also known as reredos. These beautiful art pieces were made by a famous santero named Pedro Antonio Fresquis. A santero is an artist who creates religious images, often on wood. One of the screens is dated 1821, and there are other amazing examples of early 19th-century religious art in the church.
Life in Truchas: Past and Present
Truchas is still a bit remote, located about 8,000 feet above sea level. For a long time, there wasn't even a paved road leading into the community; one finally arrived in the early 1970s. Because it stayed so unchanged for many years, Truchas still follows some of its original Spanish land grant rules. For example, cars often share the roads with livestock like cows or sheep!
The quiet, traditional way of life and beautiful scenery made Truchas attractive to artists. Many artists started moving to Northern New Mexico, especially after the movie The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), directed by Robert Redford, was filmed there. While the arrival of artists has brought changes, the community has found ways to blend new ideas with its long-standing farming traditions. Some people also have vacation homes in the village.
From Truchas, you can see amazing views of the Truchas Peaks, which are nearly 5,000 feet higher than the village itself. You can also see the Española Valley.
See also
In Spanish: Truchas (Nuevo México) para niños
