Los Cerrillos ("the hills") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Los Cerrillos had a population of 258. Cerrillos is accessible from State Highway 14 which is known as The Turquoise Trail south of Santa Fe due to local deposits; the road, known as Cerrillos Road in the Santa Fe city limits, continues southerly to Albuquerque.
There are several shops and galleries, a post office, and the Cerrillos Hills State Park, which has five miles of hiking trails. The Cerrillos Turquoise Mining Museum contains hundreds of artifacts from the American Old West and the Cerrillos Mining District. It also displays cardboard cutouts of characters from the film Young Guns and information on other movies which have been filmed in and around Cerrillos.
History
The first, confirmable human presence on the Galisteo River occurred around 10,500 years ago. Over the centuries, both large and small communities spread throughout the Galisteo Basin. Archeological evidence of pre-Columbian human inhabitants includes pottery, vases, cups, eating and cooking utensils, stone hammers, wedges, mauls, and religious items.
The Ancestral Puebloans began mining Cerrillos turquoise in approximately 700-900 AD. Evidence of established long-term settlements, dating back to the 13th century, includes pit-house villages. In the 14th century, there was increased upheaval and conflict between communities, including the burning of the Burnt Corn Ruin. During the 15th century, an influx of Apache and Navajo in the Galisteo Basin influenced and impacted the Puebloans. By the time Francisco Vázquez de Coronado arrived in the region, circa 1540–42, a number of indigenous settlements were abandoned.
In 1680, a landslide occurred in the hills, causing mines to cave in and bury about 25 miners. When the Spanish attempted to restart mining operations, the Native workers revolted. The earliest well-documented Spanish mine claim was registered in 1709 by General Don Juan de Ulibarri. After Mexican Independence, restrictions on foreign visitors in New Mexico were lifted in 1821, increasing trade. Following the end of the Mexican–American War in 1848, the US Government manipulated land grants to make it easier for Anglo-Americans to purchase land. Between 1846 and 1869, the Cerrillos Hills were claimed by the Baca y Delgado Family Land Grant. In 1870, the US Government rejected the family's grant claim and made the land available for public purchase. In the same year, Elkins gained ownership of the Ortiz Mining Grant, which contained coal deposits. Frank Dimmick and Robert Hart registered their Bonanza #3 claim in the Cerrillos Hills on January 15, 1879.
thumb|upright=1.1|[[Amtrak's Southwest Chief train passing Devil's Throne, an igneous intrusion rising to an altitude of approximately northwest of Los Cerrillos (2017)]]
thumb|A fine Cerrillos Turquoise specimen at the [[Smithsonian]]
As of the census of 2000, there were 229 people, 111 households, and 59 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 129 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 79.04% White, 0.44% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 16.16% from other races, and 3.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 50.66% of the population.
There were 111 households, out of which 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.8% were non-families. 41.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 17.9% under the age of 18, 2.2% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 33.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and over, there were 106.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $13,661, and the median income for a family was $31,161. Males had a median income of $30,446 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $14,215. About 25.9% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen or sixty-five or over.
Education
It is within Santa Fe Public Schools.
It is zoned to Amy Biehl Elementary School, Milagro Middle School, and Santa Fe High School.
Previously it was zoned to Capital High School. In 2017 the district recommended changing the boundary of the area to Santa Fe High.
See also
- List of census-designated places in New Mexico