Wandering to an Only-in-New Mexico Experience

Because over half of New Mexico’s population is either Hispanic or Native American and with both of those populations having roots going back to when the area was under Spanish and Mexican rule, it doesn’t take long before you start spotting items that are clearly an only-in-New Mexico experience. Drive on any road in the state and you’ll soon see the Spanish/Mexican influence of shrines, crosses, or images of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Perhaps the most interesting shine in New Mexico is Los Portales near the land grant community of Seboyeta north of Laguna Pueblo. It’s only about an hour’s drive from Albuquerque. (Land Grant communities, too, are another distinctive feature of New Mexico and all of them date back to Spanish and Mexican days.)

To reach Los Portales, drive west on I-40 and get off at exit 114 (Laguna Pueblo). Go west on NM 124 (old Route 66) for a little more than a mile to NM 279. Turn right and follow 279 north for around 13 miles or so to Seboyeta.

If you were to have been making this drive 50 or 60 years ago, you would be passing the huge pit of one of the largest uranium mines in the country. The Paguate-Jackpile Mine opened in the early 1950s and shut down in the early 1980s. It was one of several mines, that are now gone, in the “New Mexico Uranium Belt.” The Paguate-Jackpile mine site, which is on Laguna tribal land, has now been remediated, but you can still clearly see where the mine was located. The nearby community Paguate, where many of the mine workers lived, is one of several Laguna Pueblo tribal communities.

Right after passing Paguate and the old mine, you’ll be leaving Laguna tribal lands and entering the Cebolleta Land Grant. Almost immediately, you’ll be entering and passing through the small community of Bibo – home of the “world famous” Bibo Bar and the “world famous Bibo Burger.” The Bibo Bar is a popular destination for motor cyclists and was mentioned as a nearby attraction on page 315 of the 3^rd edition of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Albuquerque for Hike # 60 in the book.

As for the burger, the half-pound patties are hand-made daily onsite at the bar from fresh ground beef and features green chile and cheese. Green chile cheese burgers are a New Mexico specialty, and this one is very good!

Drive two more miles north of Bibo and you’ll reach the community of Seboyeta. Los Portales is a little more than a mile beyond the community to the north. If you’re interested in knowing more about Seboyeta, I strongly recommend that you acquire a copy of The Place Names of New Mexico by Robert Julyan. It has tidbits of information and history on every community, including Seboyeta, in New Mexico. It is an essential tool for the New Mexico explorer.

As you look around Seboyeta you’ll see that it sits in a very scenic sandstone canyon with a mixture of houses (some made of adobe) and small irrigated farm fields. The availability of water is one of the reasons a community was established here.

To reach Los Portales, drive around the center of the community and head north. Taking the road to the left or to the right of the community center will get you to the same place. As you head north, you’ll pass more fields and some reservoirs for storing water. In a little more than a mile you’ll reach the gate for Los Portales.

You may notice a yellow sign declaring Los Portales off limits to non-residents. That sign is a new addition since my last visit prior to the pandemic. I asked a patron at the Bibo Bar about the sign and where to get permission. He said that it was okay for me to go to the shrine and that community is just trying to limit visitation to the area. So if you’re uncomfortable with proceeding, check around to see if you can ask someone for permission.

If you do go ahead, park your car just before the gate and make a left-hand turn once you pass through the Los Portales gate. The shrine is tucked under a cave-like alcove at the end of the canyon. It’s less than a half mile from where you parked the car.

When you reach the shine, you’ll find a chapel-like amphitheater tucked under the alcove with a statue of St. Bernadette kneeling at the foot of a glass-enclosed statue of Mary. Overlooking St. Bernadette is a statue of Jesus and several crosses. To the right of Mary is a small spring that many claim to have healing powers.

And when you leave, you will have had an only-in-New Mexico experience. Where else in the country can you pass by a Native American pueblo (Laguna Pueblo), drive by a remediated uranium mine, eat a half-pound green chile cheese burger at a “world famous” biker bar, pass through a land grant community with roots going back 200 years or more, and visit a shrine to St. Bernadette tucked under a cave-like alcove at the end of a sandstone canyon. Where else but in New Mexico could you spend a half day doing something special like this!