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Grave (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Rusty gate around a grave (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Old grave (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Gate around the graves (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Toppled over gravestone (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Headstone (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Well-preserved tombstone (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Tombstones (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Gated grave (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Broken tombstone of De Silva (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Grave of Diego G De Baca (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Broken tombstone of de Garcia (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Castillo's tombstone buried underground (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Gated grave (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Tombstone on the ground (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Broken tombstone (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Cross on the ground in the cemetery (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Close up shot of a tombstone (Kim Holland/KRQE)

Montoya's tombstone_20100701140655_JPG

Montoya's tombstone (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Cemetery went undiscovered for decades (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Cemetery went undiscovered for decades (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Cemetery gravestones (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Cemetery went undiscovered for decades (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Neighborhood right around the corner from the cemetery (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Path right by the cemetery (Kim Holland/KRQE)

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Ancient, hidden cemetery discovered

"[We] didn't even realize it was there"

Updated: Friday, 23 Jul 2010, 7:28 AM MDT
Published : Thursday, 22 Jul 2010, 10:05 PM MDT

BERNALILLO, N.M. (KRQE) - The town of Bernalillo uncovered 200 years of history. Neighbors discovered an old cemetery south of U.S. Highway 550 near the railroad just two months ago.

Weeds and shrubs grew over the tombstones. Some of the graves date back to the 1800s. Few people even knew the cemetery existed.

"A lot of people walk by this cemetery on [a] particular path and don't even realize it's there," said Roxanne Smyth.

She and her husband have strolled by the graves for years without knowing it existed. Then, one day, she wandered off the path and stumbled upon a headstone.

"There's so much history that's in here," said Smyth.

Vandals and sheer time destroyed some of the headstones over the years. Many tombstones are cracked, broken or missing. Other graves are simply marked with rocks.

About 100 people are buried there, but no one seems to know who they were. The state archives, the local Archdiocese and the neaby church all had only partial records of those who rest there. There is no complete data of who is buried in those graves.

In fact, few knew who even owned the land. The Father Stephen Imbarrato of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Bernalillo did not know his church owned the property until it was recently rediscovered. Fr. Imbarrato walked through the cemetery for the first time two months ago. He realized the headstones were hard to read, so he set out on a mission.

"What a shame," Fr. Imbarrato said in reference to the weed-covered graves. "We can clean this up pretty well."

So, they did. Volunteers with the 4-H club and the Knights of Columbus in Bernalillo helped clean up the cemetery and weeded the grounds. Soon, the Knights of Columbus will make 80 crosses to identify the unmarked graves. As for identifying the bodies, the Father is asking around the parish, hoping a conversation sparks someone's memory about a loved one who is buried there.

If you think your relative is buried there, call Our Lady of Sorrows in Bernalillo at (505) 867-5252.

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