WayfarrowLa Cueva
Ghost town · Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
La Cueva is a ghost town in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. It is one of 11 former communities in Rio Arriba County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 5th among the 31 New Mexico counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists La Cueva as a historical populated place on the Ojo Caliente topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 36.3675° N, 106.0497° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Ojo Caliente |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 6,465 ft |
| Nearest living town | La Madera, NM |
| Distance to it | 0.7 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 901582 |
| Coordinates | 36.36752, -106.04974 |
What's there now
La Cueva is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is La Madera, NM (population 168), about 0.7 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 6,465 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Howiri-Ouinge Historic Siteghost town · Taos County · 4.5 mi
- Loboghost town · Taos County · 29.2 mi
- San Antonioghost town · Rio Arriba County · 34.6 mi
- Buckmanghost town · Santa Fe County · 37.4 mi
- Hopewellghost town · Rio Arriba County · 41.3 mi
- Burns Canyonghost town · Rio Arriba County · 41.3 mi
- Hematiteghost town · Colfax County · 43.2 mi
- Subletteghost town · Rio Arriba County · 44.1 mi
- Morenoghost town · Colfax County · 47 mi
- Perryvilleghost town · Colfax County · 47.2 mi
- Midnightghost town · Taos County · 47.4 mi
- Osierghost town · Conejos County · 47.4 mi
Questions
Where is La Cueva?
La Cueva is in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, at 36.3675, -106.0497.
How many ghost towns are in Rio Arriba County?
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico has 11 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.