Socorro Old Town Bed & Breakfast

History and Location

The Socorro Old Town Bed & Breakfast hadn’t been built in 1541 when a contingent of Francisco Coronado’s conquistadores camped nearby. Nor was it around in 1598 when Spanish Colonizer Don Juan de Onate named Socorro for the “succor” he received from the Piro Indian pueblo after he blazed a tortuous trail on the Camino Real that abandoned the comforting waters of the Rio Grande and would become known as the “Jornada de Muerto” or Journey of Death.

But if the walls of the B & B could talk, the stories they might tell of Spanish settlers, friars and the faithful rebuilding one of New Mexico’s oldest churches in the 1820’s, the arrival of the “Anglos” to the southwest, a Civil war battle, and mining, farming and modern research booms. That church, first built in 1600 and first named Nuestra Senora de Pilabo de Socorro, still stands in its reconstructed form as San Miguel Mission, just a pottery shard's toss away from the B&B.

Nestled in the center of the southwest’s historic bosom, the Socorro Old Town Bed & Breakfast began its life, probably in the early 1800’s, as a one room adobe house, was joined with another one room house, and like most houses has been remodeled, added on to, and upgraded to suit each owner’s needs.

Present owners Terry and J.P. Moore executed a complete “gut renovation” in 2004 that revealed 12 foot high ceilings supported by centuries-old vigas, and the 18 inch thick original adobe walls. Their goal was to retain the integrity of the “just a house” look, but to incorporate contemporary building materials and conveniences into the structure.

The two bedroom, two bathroom home, from the outside, looks much like it did 100 years ago. The renovation stabilized the original walls and modernized the infrastructure. The home now features central air and heat, Saltillo tile floors, tiled bathrooms, a claw foot tub from the historic Val Verde Hotel and of course, those amazing vigas.

Nearby attractions include New Mexico Tech, a small research university with a an 18 hole championship golf course, and a world renowned Mineral Museum, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Very Large Array, back country trails and byways, and a variety of historical sites and cultural events.