CERRILLOS
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow in this New Mexico Town

      “This is the story of a ghost town that would not die. For 2,000 years, mines shaped Cerrillos’ history. Indians mined turquoise here and the Spanish mined gold and silver.”
     
      —Tori Adams, Farmington Daily Times
     
     
            “The subtitle ‘The Story of a Won’t-Be Ghost Town’ shows the focus of the book. Cerrillos, while no longer the active center it was in the 1800s, is still very much alive. This small town, only a short drive from Santa Fe, is steeped in western history and traditions. The present-day town has just as colorful and interesting residents as the early town had. This is both a historical account and a tour guide to the modern Cerrillos. There is a mixture of old and new photographs and an extensive bibliography.”
     
      —Marcia Muth, “Book Chat,” Enchantment
     
     
            “This unpretentious little volume is best used as a guidebook to the village of Cerrillos, 25 miles southwest of Santa Fe. Founded on the strength of its turquoise, lead, zinc, and silver deposits in the late 1800s, the town has had an up and down history: more recently it has been revitalized by an influx of artists and persons of means from Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Neighborhoods and all major places are described, and there are plenty of black and white photos by the author.”
     
      —Books of the Southwest
     
     
            “Jacqueline Lawson was stimulated to research and write this story by her interest in Native American history and art, and her discovery of building relics as subjects for her camera. Seeing the remnants of early Cerrillos triggered her romantic imagination about what the old town had been. Her chronicle is based on commendable investigation of existing information sources. The result is a darned good guidebook. It addresses details of major events, marking time periods that define the town’s foundation and evolution, its lapse into near-ghost status, attempts made at revitalization, re-characterization developments, and prospects for survival. The people and actions involved include prominent New Mexico figures, catastrophes, and the construction and final destiny of the community’s principal structures. Lawson employs good writing to support her point that Los Cerrillos was an important town in the state.”
     
      —Paxton P. Price, New Mexico Historical Review
     
     
            “Fading village sites dotting New Mexico are often blessed with residents deeply concerned with recording their history. Cerrillos resident Jacqueline Lawson has done a meticulously detailed job on that colorful spot southwest of Santa Fe. Its history is lively and interesting. Old-timers there are loyal and industrious, new residents are enterprising in extraordinary ways. Cerrillos’ appearance is so picturesque that quite a number of movies have been made there over the years.”
     
      —Fern Lyon, New Mexico Magazine
     
     
            “We old timers have fond memories of the Tiffany Saloon and its famous bean soup. The rich and famous of yesteryear stayed here and performed here. The Cerrillos turquoise mines are legendary. Located just a few miles from either Santa Fe or Albuquerque, it still retains that sleepy ambience evoking an ‘if only …’ phrase from its visitors. Lawson does an admirable job, through personal interviews, newspaper accounts and other material, in bringing the portrait of this town up to date. Many photos.”
     
      —Book Talk