Coyote, New Mexico
Four miles west of Youngsville, NM, on Highway 96 and located in a scenic valley cut by small streams and lined with red rock formations, is Coyote. This small settlement of a little over 300 residents is rich with history. Notorious within some circles, renowned in others, Coyote has been an influential part in the history of Rio Arriba.
According to The Roadside History of New Mexico, the town is named for Coyote Canyon, presumably named for the large population of the animals in the area. The initial settlers in Coyote came from Youngsville, and old Gallina, which was located in the northern Chama area. These were farmers and herders, with herds of goats and sheep, and a few cows. The territory was opened up, and homesteaders built a walled, fortified village in 1808. Located just north of the present day highway through town, where the church is today, the small cluster of connected houses offered protection. With walls, corrals, fields and ditches, the tiny settlement provided enough safety and shelter for the homesteaders to survive. The land was a part of the San Juaquin Land grant, given by the King of Spain, but largely unsettled at the time because of the natives. Initially, due to Utes raiding the village, Coyote was abandoned, and the villagers moved back to the safety of Abiquiú or to Santa Cruz. In 1846, after Kit Carson’s Long Walk, Coyote was reinhabited by the homesteaders, and now feeling safe in the area, began to build farmhouses. Early inhabitants, including the Valdez, Martinez, and Lovato families, once again began to herd their animals on the communal land. Only the rich had horses and cows. The homesteaders had their summer houses, small cabins, high in the mountains- up into the Resumidero area and the surrounding high lands. Here the cool temperatures during the summer were ideal for raising sheep and goats, and small gardens. In the winter, the residents would move down into the valley, into their winter homes along the acequias in Coyote, La Mesa and Arroyo del Agua. Due to the nature of the land grant system, expansion was the key: you could have as much land as you could fence. The village, along with its vegetable gardens and ditches, was private land. This land was willed and passed on, but there was also the communal land. The communal land was the portion of the land grant that belonged to everyone, and could be used by all. Hunting, grazing, and logging could all be done on the communal land by anyone, and because of the small population, there was no fighting over the land at the time.
Around 1917, the communal land was taken over by the National Forest Service. The villagers could no longer use the land for whatever they wished. It was required of them to purchase permits for grazing or logging, and the people were upset. Their way of life had been disrupted, and some of the residents would not stand for it. The discontent grew, and from it came the battles of Tijerina in the 1960’s and 70’s, desperately trying to regain the San Juaquin communal land for the unrestricted use by the community, and resenting any outsiders who tried to impose their ideals on the locals.
Coyote, and the surrounding settlements lived in a fairly sheltered style up until the mid 20th century. Traveling to Española was a huge event, taking two days by wagon on the unpaved roads. Perhaps only undertaken twice a year, the trip was the biggest event in many residents’ lives. Sheepskins, wool, pinon nuts, potatoes, and other products raised or gathered by the residents were loaded into the wagon to take to town to trade for other needed items. After a day’s travel, the villagers would often stay overnight in Abiquiú, and then move on to Española the next day. Upon arrival, they would go to the People’s Store, located where the Convento stands today, and commence trading. The People’s store was a huge trading post. It was right on the railroad tracks, and thus had easy access to trains to transport goods to and from town.
Arroyo del Agua, one satellite community of Coyote, was also a somewhat self-sustaining community at this time. In the 1930’s and 40’s, Arroyo del Agua had a store, a one-room schoolhouse, one gas station on the corner, and one across the street. Like most small villages, this arrangement worked out well for the residents. The children would walk to the one room schoolhouse, there was no long bus ride, and none of the residents had cars. The gas stations were for the people driving by on the road.
The houses were situated so the kitchen was close to the ditch, to easily access water. A garden was strategically placed between the acequia and the kitchen, so vegetables could be utilized easily. It was a relatively simple life, filled with hard work. When the mail would come into town, the teenagers would get on their horses and gather all their friends. They would sit up on the hill and watch the car bringing the mail make its progress into the village.
With World War II, many men from the area served their duty. Returning home to the small village, after having seen the lifestyles in the big cities, they began to feel how isolated their area was, how cut off from modern amenities it was. Cars began to be the popular thing- everyone had to have one, just like other Americans. Into the 50’s, the roads were paved, speeding contact with the world. It was easier to travel into the larger towns, and as a result, shopping habits changed. With the roads, school busses could travel easily, and the children were consolidated into group schools. While parts of the progress were beneficial, some aspects of it were not. The small gas stations and stores closed, as did the one-room schoolhouses.
Because of the lack of jobs, most of the men would go out of state for work. Many would take the chili train or, later, the bus from Cuba, and go up to Utah to herd sheep. The big ranches in Utah and Nevada would hire the men from Coyote and surrounding areas because they knew so much about herding sheep. Sheep herding, after all, had been the main way of life for decades, up until the time the Forest Service required the herds changed over to cattle. Up in Utah or Nevada, the men would work the summers, leaving the women behind, and return later in the year with cash. They would also go up to Alamosa and other parts of Colorado, for seasonal work. Gathering sugar beets, potatoes, beans, and any other work that needed to be done, they did it, and they did this up until recent years. Now less of this work is offered to the residents, with most of the labor being given to workers from other countries.
Tijerina was just one of the notorious residents of Coyote, living in his fenced house on the edge of town. In the satellite community of Arroyo del Agua, the Martinez family also had their share of notoriety. Los Mochos, or “the Mutilated,” frequently took the law into their own hands, in the style of Tijerina. It has been said that police officers will not patrol the area, and Coyote once elected its own sheriff and claimed the region as a sovereign nation, under its own laws and regulations. Coyote has been called the final frontier of the Wild West.
In the cyclical change experienced in Coyote and the surrounding areas, after a brief time of prosperity, followed by the lack of jobs and hard times, many are reverting back to simpler ways of living. Many people are moving away, towards the hopes of opportunity in the larger cities. The community is dying out. Affluent white people are moving in, who want little to do with the old ways of life or the rich culture. What is the future of communities like Coyote? Are they to become gentrified like Abiquiú, forgetting the history of the land they now call home? Only time will tell…
According to The Roadside History of New Mexico, the town is named for Coyote Canyon, presumably named for the large population of the animals in the area. The initial settlers in Coyote came from Youngsville, and old Gallina, which was located in the northern Chama area. These were farmers and herders, with herds of goats and sheep, and a few cows. The territory was opened up, and homesteaders built a walled, fortified village in 1808. Located just north of the present day highway through town, where the church is today, the small cluster of connected houses offered protection. With walls, corrals, fields and ditches, the tiny settlement provided enough safety and shelter for the homesteaders to survive. The land was a part of the San Juaquin Land grant, given by the King of Spain, but largely unsettled at the time because of the natives. Initially, due to Utes raiding the village, Coyote was abandoned, and the villagers moved back to the safety of Abiquiú or to Santa Cruz. In 1846, after Kit Carson’s Long Walk, Coyote was reinhabited by the homesteaders, and now feeling safe in the area, began to build farmhouses. Early inhabitants, including the Valdez, Martinez, and Lovato families, once again began to herd their animals on the communal land. Only the rich had horses and cows. The homesteaders had their summer houses, small cabins, high in the mountains- up into the Resumidero area and the surrounding high lands. Here the cool temperatures during the summer were ideal for raising sheep and goats, and small gardens. In the winter, the residents would move down into the valley, into their winter homes along the acequias in Coyote, La Mesa and Arroyo del Agua. Due to the nature of the land grant system, expansion was the key: you could have as much land as you could fence. The village, along with its vegetable gardens and ditches, was private land. This land was willed and passed on, but there was also the communal land. The communal land was the portion of the land grant that belonged to everyone, and could be used by all. Hunting, grazing, and logging could all be done on the communal land by anyone, and because of the small population, there was no fighting over the land at the time.
Around 1917, the communal land was taken over by the National Forest Service. The villagers could no longer use the land for whatever they wished. It was required of them to purchase permits for grazing or logging, and the people were upset. Their way of life had been disrupted, and some of the residents would not stand for it. The discontent grew, and from it came the battles of Tijerina in the 1960’s and 70’s, desperately trying to regain the San Juaquin communal land for the unrestricted use by the community, and resenting any outsiders who tried to impose their ideals on the locals.
Coyote, and the surrounding settlements lived in a fairly sheltered style up until the mid 20th century. Traveling to Española was a huge event, taking two days by wagon on the unpaved roads. Perhaps only undertaken twice a year, the trip was the biggest event in many residents’ lives. Sheepskins, wool, pinon nuts, potatoes, and other products raised or gathered by the residents were loaded into the wagon to take to town to trade for other needed items. After a day’s travel, the villagers would often stay overnight in Abiquiú, and then move on to Española the next day. Upon arrival, they would go to the People’s Store, located where the Convento stands today, and commence trading. The People’s store was a huge trading post. It was right on the railroad tracks, and thus had easy access to trains to transport goods to and from town.
Arroyo del Agua, one satellite community of Coyote, was also a somewhat self-sustaining community at this time. In the 1930’s and 40’s, Arroyo del Agua had a store, a one-room schoolhouse, one gas station on the corner, and one across the street. Like most small villages, this arrangement worked out well for the residents. The children would walk to the one room schoolhouse, there was no long bus ride, and none of the residents had cars. The gas stations were for the people driving by on the road.
The houses were situated so the kitchen was close to the ditch, to easily access water. A garden was strategically placed between the acequia and the kitchen, so vegetables could be utilized easily. It was a relatively simple life, filled with hard work. When the mail would come into town, the teenagers would get on their horses and gather all their friends. They would sit up on the hill and watch the car bringing the mail make its progress into the village.
With World War II, many men from the area served their duty. Returning home to the small village, after having seen the lifestyles in the big cities, they began to feel how isolated their area was, how cut off from modern amenities it was. Cars began to be the popular thing- everyone had to have one, just like other Americans. Into the 50’s, the roads were paved, speeding contact with the world. It was easier to travel into the larger towns, and as a result, shopping habits changed. With the roads, school busses could travel easily, and the children were consolidated into group schools. While parts of the progress were beneficial, some aspects of it were not. The small gas stations and stores closed, as did the one-room schoolhouses.
Because of the lack of jobs, most of the men would go out of state for work. Many would take the chili train or, later, the bus from Cuba, and go up to Utah to herd sheep. The big ranches in Utah and Nevada would hire the men from Coyote and surrounding areas because they knew so much about herding sheep. Sheep herding, after all, had been the main way of life for decades, up until the time the Forest Service required the herds changed over to cattle. Up in Utah or Nevada, the men would work the summers, leaving the women behind, and return later in the year with cash. They would also go up to Alamosa and other parts of Colorado, for seasonal work. Gathering sugar beets, potatoes, beans, and any other work that needed to be done, they did it, and they did this up until recent years. Now less of this work is offered to the residents, with most of the labor being given to workers from other countries.
Tijerina was just one of the notorious residents of Coyote, living in his fenced house on the edge of town. In the satellite community of Arroyo del Agua, the Martinez family also had their share of notoriety. Los Mochos, or “the Mutilated,” frequently took the law into their own hands, in the style of Tijerina. It has been said that police officers will not patrol the area, and Coyote once elected its own sheriff and claimed the region as a sovereign nation, under its own laws and regulations. Coyote has been called the final frontier of the Wild West.
In the cyclical change experienced in Coyote and the surrounding areas, after a brief time of prosperity, followed by the lack of jobs and hard times, many are reverting back to simpler ways of living. Many people are moving away, towards the hopes of opportunity in the larger cities. The community is dying out. Affluent white people are moving in, who want little to do with the old ways of life or the rich culture. What is the future of communities like Coyote? Are they to become gentrified like Abiquiú, forgetting the history of the land they now call home? Only time will tell…
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