Trampas in Taos County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Las Trampas
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 22, 2013
1. Las Trampas Marker
The village of Las Trampas was established in 1751 by 12 families from Santa Fe, led by Juan de Argüello, who received a land grant from Governor Tomás Vélez Cachupín. The church of San José de Gracia is one of the finest surviving 18th-century churches in New Mexico.
Erected by New Mexico Historic Preservation Division.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Hispanic Americans • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1751.
Location. 36° 7.865′ N, 105° 45.505′ W. Marker is in Trampas, New Mexico, in Taos County
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Northern New Mexico. It is also in the American Southwest and in the Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pueblo of Picuris (approx. 4.9 miles away); Maria Ramita Simbola Martinez "Summer Harvest" (1884-1969) (approx. 5 miles away); Truchas Peaks (approx. 6.3 miles away); Truchas (approx. 7.4 miles away); Pilar (approx. 9.6 miles away); Embudo Stream-Gaging Station (approx. 11.2 miles away); Captive Women and Children of Taos County / María Rosa Villapando, (ca. 1725-1830) (approx. 12.3 miles away); William J. Klauer (approx. 12.3 miles away).
Another marker is no longer nearby. Cordova (was approx. 11.6 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Also see . . . Wikipedia Entry. This entry contains photographs of the interior. “The San Jose de Gracia Church, also known as Church of Santo Tomas Del Rio de Las Trampas, is a church built between 1760 and 1776 in Las Trampas, New Mexico. Originally named Santo Tomas del Rio de las Trampas, the church is of adobe construction with a mud-plaster exterior, which is renewed periodically by parishioners. The church was reroofed and repaired in 1932 by the Society for the Preservation of New Mexico Mission Churches, led by renowned architect John Gaw Meem.
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 22, 2013
2. Reverse Side of Marker and Plaza in Front of Church
Photographed by Richard Denney, circa Aug 1982
3. Las Trampas Marker
Photographed by Richard Denney, circa 1982
4. San José de Gracia de Las Trampas mission church
Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 22, 2013
5. San José de Gracia de Las Trampas Church and Marker
Courtesy U.S. Farm Security Administration, 1943
6. Main Altar, San José de Gracias, Las Trampas, New Mexico
Credits. This page was last revised on August 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2010, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas. This page has been viewed 2,548 times since then and 107 times this year. Last updated on July 30, 2025, by Bill Wingate of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 23, 2013, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 3. submitted on June 21, 2010, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas. 4. submitted on October 28, 2010, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas. 5, 6. submitted on April 23, 2013, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
