VISIT THE “OLD MAIN” NEW MEXICO PRISON – Scene of 1980 Prison Riot
Posted: January 20, 2020 Filed under: geezerLearns, geezerTrips, My Backyard, New Mexico, Uncategorized | Tags: jail, prison, Santa Fe Leave a comment »
Cell Block – Old NM Main Prison
As an update from the original October 11, 2017 posting, you can read all about the prison riot of 40 years ago in the Albuquerque Journal. The report in the January 26, 2020 edition is the first in a 3 part series on the riot. As of today, no tours are being offered. Second part published on January 27, 2020. Third part published on January 28, 2020.
In 1980 there was a prison riot in Santa Fe, New Mexico that resulted in the deaths of 33 inmates and the destruction of the New Mexico State Penitentiary. Since then a new prison has been built next to the remains of “Old Main.”
The New Mexico Department of Corrections conducts tours of Old Main at the New Mexico Prison in Santa Fe. I took the tour in 2012. The tour took about two hours.
“Old Main” was virtually destroyed and 33 inmates were murdered.
Tours are conducted for part of the year. The goal is to raise money for a museum; however, nothing seems to have happened in the last five years.
If you want tickets for the Tour, click here; however, as of the date of posting this post, no tours are being offered. They may be offered again in 2019.
August 23, 2019 – I just checked and it seems a few tours are available this summer, but may be sold out. Click here.
If you still want to visit a prison, try Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia; or read about it in the New York Times.
If you want to read about the 1980 prison riot in New Mexico, click here.
This is out of my comfort zone; but something we should be aware of.
THINK OLD!