Cuervo is an unincorporated community in Guadalupe County, New Mexico, United States.[1] Cuervo is located along Interstate 40 16.8 miles (27.0 km) east-northeast of Santa Rosa. Cuervo had a post office until September 10, 2011; it still has its own ZIP code, 88417.[2][3] The community is nearly a ghost town now, having been split by the construction of I-40; but there is still a small church and a gas station.[4]

Cuervo, New Mexico
Unincorporated community
Church and its deteriorated rectory in Cuervo
Cuervo Show map of New Mexico Cuervo Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 35°01′52″N 104°24′31″W
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Guadalupe
Elevation	4,859 ft (1,481 m)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	88417
Area code(s)	575
GNIS feature ID	915818[1]

Cuervo was founded in 1901, and a post office was opened there in 1902, although records indicate that there was a settlement there prior to 1901. It began as a supply center for ranches in the area; by 1926, it had become a stop on Route 66 for travellers. The 1940 census recorded a population of 128, although by that time there were "few gas stations, groceries, no café, garage or other tourist accommodations." By 2011 the shell of an old stone schoolhouse and a stone church were still standing[5]

Cuervo consists of four streets south of I-40 and two streets north of the interstate. Nearly all of the structures in the community are abandoned and very deteriorated. The town began in 1901 when the railroad came thorough. The town started to grow when the surrounding land was opened to cattle ranching in 1910. Then Route 66 came, and the town's population peaked in the 1940s at over 300. There are two homes in the community that appear updated and inhabited, along with one auto repair business. The community's long-abandoned school building and church appear to be undergoing restoration.

As of 2022, access to the ghost town from I-40 has been inhibited by ongoing redevelopment of the motorway by the New Mexico Department of Transportation.[6][7]

Gallery

• 
  crumbling adobe building
• 
  old stone schoolhouse with abandoned vehicle
• 
  woodframe structure
• 
  old stone schoolhouse
• 
  water tower

References

External links

History and photos *

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