Living for free while guarding history

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - It seems like a great deal: A nice house in an upscale neighborhood with the rent and utilities picked up by the City of Albuquerque.

But it's not all gravy. The city employee fortunate enough to live in the home also must help protect Albuquerque's history. That's because the 1,400-square-foot, 60-year-old house in the Bosque in the city's North Valley sits on top of the Piedras Marcada Pueblo, which was occupied between 500 and 700 years ago.

The city bought the home -- which sits among cottonwood trees and expensive houses -- in 1988 for $800,000. Since then, it has allowed city employees to live there for free in exchange for keeping an eye out for artifact-poachers.

"The purpose of purchasing the property was to preserve a very important archaeological site," said Barbara Baca, parks and recreation director. "It's a multi-room pueblo site."

Martin Martinez, a forester who works in the city's open space division, currently lives in the house. His job is to keep people off the land, unless they have an escort. Because it's a felony to steal artifacts, Martinez reports anything suspicious.

"I have had some people picking up stuff," he said.

Because the house is a bit run down, Martinez has done some minor restorations for which taxpayers have picked up the tab. Still, he enjoys living in the home.

"The added bonus is there's a lot of wildlife," he said. "There's [Cooper's] hawks, there's coyotes coming in."

But his rent-free living is probably coming to an end. Because of the home's condition and the city's plans to restore the land to its roots, the house will likely be demolished in the next three-to-five years.

After that, open space employees will continue to keep an eye on the historic property on foot patrols.