Local Legends and Haunted Properties

5 years ago

New Mexico is famous for its spine-tingling legends, no doubt due to its rich history. Everything from the paranormal with Roswell UFOs and the mysterious Taos Hum, to spiritual apparitions like La Mala Hora and La Llorona.

As a young boy, I used to sit at night and watch small lights moving across the Bartlett Mesa behind our house in Raton. My siblings used to tell me that the lights were La Llorona traveling across the mesa and that if I didn’t behave she would come and get me! As the youngest of 8 children, I was often the subject of such torment.

The Legend of La Llorana, the story of a beautiful woman named Maria who can be heard crying as she searches for her two children that she drowned because she was angry at her husband, was my first exposure to one such legend, and it stayed with me—you can believe I was on my best behavior after that!

Growing up in New Mexico, it’s unlikely to meet someone who hasn’t had an ‘unexplained’ experience. Whether it’s the subtle hair-raising chills in the odd old house or the wild and supernatural manifestations of an apparition waking you at night by violently shaking your sleeping bag as you camp out in Santa Fe during the Fiesta of 1972 (true story), you are bound to experience such mysteries eventually. With the following four famously haunted properties, you certainly can now.

Photo: La Llorona depicted on the TV show Grimm

KiMo Theatre

If you have lived in the Albuquerque metro area you have probably been to or heard about the historic KiMo Theatre located on the corner of Central Avenue and 5^thStreet. Built in 1927, this unique Art Deco-Pueblo Revival building has a dynamic past. The KiMo theatre is considered one of the most haunted buildings in New Mexico purely based on the prolific nature of the spirit that haunts it—Robbie (Bobby) Darnell.

In 1951, tragedy struck the KiMo when a boiler exploded destroying the majority of the lobby. Bobby, age six, while leaving the theatre entered the lobby just before the explosion and died in the blast.

For many years employees, guests, and performers have claimed that Bobby’s spirit haunts the theatre, even playing mischievous pranks on performers. Suspicions became so high that performers began leaving gifts so as not to fall victim to Bobby’s tricks. One story reports that donuts were hung on the back wall of the theatre to appease him. When they were taken down, the production rehearsals at the time spun into chaos with exploding lights, unexplained electrical problems, even fumbling and falling actors. Despite disputes over some of the alleged stories, a shrine was erected backstage for Bobby to ensure prank-free performances.

Folklore or fiction? Don’t believe Bobby’s spirit haunts the KiMo Theatre? Now’s your chance to put the legend to the test with KiMo Theatre’s first ever haunted tours on Halloween Night! Get more info and tickets here.

Photo: Hauntedrooms.com

Rancho de Corrales

Rancho de Corrales was a historic adobe located in the village of Corrales. The old hacienda was built in the early 1800’s by Diego Montoya and was reported to be a peaceful place surrounded by beautiful orchards. That changed when Louis and Louisa Emberto purchased the property in 1883, when its history of violence began.

Legend has it that Louisa was having an affair, and in a violent dispute, Louis left promising that he would be back to kill her and her lover. In 1898, he returned and killed Louisa, only to be shot himself in a dramatic shootout with a local posse. Due to the nature of their deaths they weren’t allowed to be buried in the church cemetery and were thus buried behind the property.

In recent history Rancho de Corrales, both as a restaurant and then as an event space, has been subject to infamous reports of ghostly activity, strange occurrences, and most commonly, sightings of Louisa herself. In fact, while my daughter worked at the Rancho de Corrales Restaurant, strange occurrences happened on a regular basis. Candles lit on their own, chairs stacked or unstacked, lights and water faucets turned on without explanation. Many staff reported seeing a woman in 19^thcentury clothing wandering the hallways late at night. Was it Louisa? Unfortunately, we may never know, the building was destroyed in a large fire in July of 2012—perhaps the spirits of Rancho de Corrales have moved on, or have they?

Photo: smartmeetings.com

Hotel Parq Central

Whether you are looking for a romantic weekend away or a fun night out, Hotel Parq Central is a luxury treat conveniently located in the heart of Albuquerque. But, be warned, you might just encounter some of its ghostly history. Hotel Parq Central is listed as 1 out of 9 of the most haunted hotels in New Mexico by Hauntedrooms.com

The beautiful historic landmark was renovated to become the contemporary hotel it is today in 2011, but it was originally built as a hospital. In 1926 the Santa Fe Hospital was built to care for employees of the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Rail Company. In the 1980’s it was purchased by a group of psychiatrists and renamed Memorial Hospital.

It was during this time as a psychiatric hospital that many of the patients started reporting sightings of a ghost on the top floor and their sheets being pulled off them in the middle of the night. Staff too experienced unsettling activity, expressing that they felt watched all the time, heard voices, and felt a general heaviness while working. To this day, ex-patients still have nightmares from being traumatized by their experience at the Memorial Hospital.

Need more evidence to believe these haunting reports? Watch this KOB TV 4 Interview with Los Muertos Spirit Seekers here. Or, book a room at the elegant Hotel Parq Central and judge for yourself whether it lives up to its haunted reputation.

Photo: hotelparqcentral.com

Luna-Otero Mansion

Not all ghost legends are shrouded in tragedy or report traumatizing their victims. The ghost of Josefita Ortero, the former mistress of the Luna-Otero Mansion, seems to me to be a friendly one. The mansion, now a stunning restaurant located on 110 West Main Street in Los Lunas, has become famous for sightings of Josefita, as well as other apparitions, so much so that they have become commonplace. She can be seen in the two former bedrooms on the second floor, in the attic storeroom, and sitting in a rocking chair at the top of the stairs.

A bit of history. The Luna-Otero Mansion is a stunning Victorian mansion built in the Southern Colonial style with adobe materials. The mansion was built in 1881 by the Santa Fe Railroad as a gift in exchange for gaining ‘right-of-way’ to build rail through the family’s property. (Part of the Luna-Otero Dynasty that goes back to the 17th century. Domingo de Luna was granted land by the King of Spain. Later Don Pedro Otero joined forces with the Luna family in a large land acquisition, creating what is now Los Lunas.)

In the early 1900’s, control of the mansion fell into the hands of Josefita and her husband Eduardo Otero. After her husband died, Josefita cared for the property, lovingly improving and expanding the mansion. It wasn’t until the property was renovated and made into a dining establishment in the 1970’s that her ghost started appearing. Many have wondered if she approved of the renovation. What do you think? Visit The Luna Mansion today and perhaps she'll tell you! Or, visit The Spirit Lounge for other apparitions, more about it here.