A Visit to La Cueva

By Chris Romero

Northern New Mexico is full of unexpected surprises, like a stunning vista around a bend in the highway, or a crumbling adobe building at a fork in the road. With history nestled in the valleys and tradition perched atop every mountain, the ties to this land stretch back through triumph, turmoil, and time.

In one of these valleys, partially hidden behind a cluster of trees along a two-lane road, is La Cueva Mill and its adjoining farm. Cottonwoods envelop the lush landscape along the Mora River. Here, the leaves rustle in the breeze, mimicking the sounds of flowing water while flowers of all shapes, sizes, and hues reach for the bright blue skies above. Everything is bathed in the ambient summer air carrying warmth and the smell of pine and river water. This place is a far cry from what most picture when thinking of New Mexico; the cacti are sparse here, and the visual language of a desert is not spoken fluently in this area.

I remember many trips to the raspberry farm with my family and friends. We wove through the rows, crouching and stretching to pick raspberries that were just right. The hue of my red-stained fingers deepened as I enjoyed more than occasional taste tests while filling my bucket well past the brim. Every trip closed with a raspberry sundae in the shade to cool off after picking. It was a treat to bring home raspberries—some to eat fresh and some to make raspberry sauce. Their bright red color and floral flavor always added a sweet vibrance to anything they were paired with.

La Cueva is illuminated by a rich afternoon sunlight which gives everything a warm glow. The radiance intensifies as the day leaks through the yellows and greens of the trees’ leaves. The sun lends its light to the structures that speckle each edge of the road. Assembled from wood, adobe, stucco, and tin, the buildings along NM-442 look as though they sprouted directly from the earth. Like small mountains, they stand rooted in the land, weathered by nearly two centuries of history, but resilient and enduring. 

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Chris Romero is a graphic designer, illustrator, and photographer currently pursuing an MFA in Media Arts & Cultural Technology at New Mexico Highlands University. He is based in Las Vegas, NM.