Haunted

The Land of Enchantment has long been known for its claims of spirits from the past lurking among us and such storytelling has always been a part of our rich history.

Even as far back as before the written language, our history, culture and traditions were weaved into scary stories that were inherited and passed down by word of mouth around a dim fire.

Whether it’s the lingering spirit of war soldiers in old homes, Native American ancestors protecting sacred lands or Pancho Villa and La Llorona making their rounds through places they frequented, this valley is stamped with ghostly urban legends and eerie tales of its violent past. Inevitably, as time goes on, these stories are altered or die off and new ones are created. These are just a few.

Ghostly Brothel

Once a brothel, catering to the travelers of the old Camino Real trail, this house has approximately 117 years of stories within its walls.

Most of the stories begin in the 1930s when the Chavez family acquired it as a home. David Chavez grew up in the house and he recalls that ever since he was little he saw and heard things that weren’t quite right. Disturbing occurrences such as misplaced furniture or objects being dragged across a room and dogs barking hysterically at ceiling corners were events that the family grew accustom to.

In 1951, David’s older sister was born and just a few years later became very ill. David emotionally tells the story of how she died in their father’s arms. An untimely death being a customary reason to linger, David believes that she is one of the spirits in the house. Another is a woman and the third is one that he is unsure of. Regardless of the spirits, his family had always lived peacefully in the house—until he moved back in 2004, after living in Dallas, TX for several years, to care for his aging mother, Rafaela.

Immediately upon stepping foot into his childhood abode, thoughts of growing up there flooded David’s memory. Straight away he began to experience some of the same activity, only this time, it was more intense. One night, David was exhausted and he went to bed hoping to get a good night sleep but what he got was the exact opposite. He turned off the lights and got into bed. Suddenly the bed began to shake violently as if someone or something was trying to make a point. The king size bed made of solid rod iron shook as if it were constructed of aluminum foil. Frightened by the strength of whatever was rattling his bed, David stormed out of the house. For several days he didn’t return, until he was certain the house had been thoroughly cleansed by professionals in this type of phenomenon.

Although the cleansing helped, David knows that he and his mother are not alone and they never have been. He often gets that spine-tingling feeling that someone is in the room watching him. David explains that when he is in his office working on the computer he has to remember to hit save because if he doesn’t, even if he just steps out for a brief second, his work is gone and a jumble of letters is left on his screen like a message from beyond.

Double Eagle

Long before the Double Eagle was a cozy restaurant, it was home to the Maese family and domicile to a tragic love story. Its history dates back to the late 1800s when the Maese family built the massive abode after moving to Mesilla from Santa Fe.

The mother, la Señora Carlota Maese, was seemingly a proud woman to whom social class was very important. She had big plans for the future of the family and her eldest son, a teenager named Armando, played a major role in those plans. Her strategy was to marry Armando off to an aristocrat from Mexico City. However, Armando met and fell in love with one of the servants of the home. Her name was Inez and she we a beautiful young girl with long black hair down to her waist.

Knowing that his mother would never approve of the relationship, Armando and Inez would sneak around town attempting to keep their affection a secret. It wasn’t long before everyone knew about the young couple’s love for one another. La Señora Maese confronted the lovesick Armando and he declared his love for Inez. His mother was not shy about showing her disgust and demanded that he follow through with her plans for him. Unwilling to fulfill his mother’s orders, Armando continued to see Inez.

One day, la Señora returned home early from a trip and found Inez in Armando’s arms in this bedroom. Furious by what she saw, she scampered off out of his bedroom. Stumbling over her sewing basket, she came across her sewing shears and returned to the teenager’s room where the lovers were dressing hastily. La Señora was in trance-like state when she raised the shears and thrust them into Inez’s chest. Seeing his mother raise the scissors for a second strike, Armando shielded Inez’s body with his own. His mother came to when Armando let out a cry of pain as the shears were plunged into his back. La Señora Maese’s last known spoken word was the name of her dying son.

Legend has it that Armando’s and Inez’s youthful spirits still roam the Carlota Salon, which was Armando’s bedroom, making their presence known in a multitude of ways. It is said that the events that occur are not malicious but rather resemble pranks played by teenagers. They’ve been known to move tables from where they were left and break wine glasses overnight without alarming the motion detector. There are reports of the young lovers whispering each other’s names and the scent of Inez’s perfume lingering about. The most widely circulated tale is of the two over-stuffed master and mistress chairs that are nestled in a corner of the Carlota Salon. The chairs have been re-finished to match the décor of the room, and although they are seldom used, they show signs of wear similar to the shape of human bodies.

Old Abandoned
Ranch House

Justin remembers the day when his father purchased the land near the Rio Grande. The land had an old abandoned ranch house on it and soon became the site of a large pecan orchard. Growing up, Justin and his brothers would occasionally play in the pecan trees, around the ranch house and even went inside the house to explore.

Many harvest years had passed when Justin met Bill, an aspiring horror filmmaker. In conversation, Bill mentioned that he had a new script and needed to shoot a particular scene near an old house. Justin immediately thought of the old ranch house and offered to show him the site.

The weather was calm on that late fall evening when Justin drove Bill out to the old ranch house. Using a professional camera, Bill began to take still photos of the exterior without incident. However, as sundown approached, they entered the house. The flash of the camera began to illuminate each room as they gradually made their way through. When they entered the last room, both men felt a peculiar presence. Justin felt a bit of a chill and began to feel a type of force pushing on him from all directions. Literally frozen, Justin looked over at the Bill, who also had a startled look on his face. Without a spoken a word they managed to exit the room not wanting to disturb anything. The solid wood door of the haunted room lightly shut behind them. Then, it began to rapidly open and close in an increasingly aggressive manner.

Frightened, they quickly exited the house and briefly discussed the experience seeking a logical explanation. They were unsuccessful at attributing the event to a windy night as they stepped out of the haunted house to a dark, still calmness. There was very little light outside and the area was freakishly quiet. They proceeded to walk near the house and peeked through a broken window toward the same eerie vicinity where they experienced the presence. The door immediately began to demonstrate the same hostile behavior. Both were terrified and hurriedly got in the truck attempting to get as far away from the disturbed site as possible.

As he drove, the camera came to mind and Justin pulled to the side of the road to search through each picture—just to see what they would find. The photos of the haunted room displayed unusual rays of light that seem to be smeared in opposite directions.

To this day, no one knows the real story behind this old abandoned ranch house. As for Justin, he occasionally visits the house but, never alone and never at night.