5/27/25: Corrales's San Ysidro Ch. & Mingue House

Earlier in the day, Steven and I had strolled through a state park and spent time at the engrossing Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, both located in Albuquerque's North Valley.

For a picturesque drive through historic villages that have almost become part of the greater Albuquerque area, we headed further north on the pastoral Corrales Scenic Byway, past lovely horse country and vineyards. The state's biggest city might as well have been a million miles away.

With views like these, even Steven was becoming a fan of New Mexico and admitted he was pretty taken with Albuquerque and the state as a whole. 

Following a flood that demolished an earlier building, the Old San Ysidro Church was constructed in 1868 in the heart of tiny Corrales, an agricultural community settled in the 18th century on a Spanish land grant. The historic Mission-style church, built of mud, rock, and wood, was dedicated to San Ysidro, the patron saint of farmers. After it was deconsecrated in 1962, the congregation moved to a new parish church. 

A severe storm in 2013 stripped the Old Church of the layers of protective mud plaster that the community had reapplied each spring for over a century. Following the storm's revelation of previously hidden structural damage, the walls were replastered, and the foundation was stabilized in 2015. The Old Church pre-2013:

The widespread renovations made it possible for the church to remain a cherished gathering space for the people of Corrales for many years to come. The church is maintained by the Corrales Historical Society and is used for community functions and social events. The treasured building is kept alive through careful stewardship and the extensive volunteer efforts of dedicated volunteers. Not only is it considered one of the most authentic and well-maintained adobe churches in the state, but it is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Across the street was the cemetery.

Beside the cemetery was Casa San Ysidro, also known as the Gutiérrez/Minge House, a historic house that served as a satellite of the Albuquerque Museum, operated jointly with the village of Corrales. I was fortunate to secure the last spot on the home tour, which was provided by a docent from the museum. Steven said he'd much prefer resting under the shade of the large apricot tree out front, as touring old homes is not typically his "thing."

The docent said the unusual tree by the old fence was called Rosaura.

The original four-room, Territorial Period Greek Revival rancho was built around 1875 by Jesus Maria Gutiérrez in Corrales, a community that has always been primarily agricultural. After the house was purchased in 1951 by Dr. Ward Alan Minge and his wife, Shirley Jolly Minge, the two historians and collectors embarked on a 46-year renovation and mammoth expansion of the home before selling it to the Museum in 1997. 

Across the street and next to the church was the original home belonging to the Gutiérrez family. More on them below.

The Minges added numerous rooms to the original house due to their interest in acquiring historical materials, primarily Spanish colonial objects, from around the state. I couldn't help but smile when the docent described the new style as Frankenstein Pueblo! Everyone on the tour was cautioned not to touch the adobe walls, because not only were they rare, but also they could rub off. 

The oldest part of the house was built during the Spanish Pueblo era between 1600 and 1880. Food had to be cooked over open fires until the trains opened up this part of New Mexico and brought in stones to build the fireplace. Though the Minges heated their home with firewood the entire time they lived in it, Shirley insisted on having a "proper kitchen," even though it was from the 1950s. None of us on the tour had a clue what the brown item was on the stone hearth. It was a tortilla press!

The 1830, all-metal Heinz stove had to be brought up from Mexico or down from the Midwest, because there was nothing available in the area. We were told that people in Albuquerque's South Valley still use stoves like this one. The snazzy blue china cabinet appeared new, but it was actually from 1790 and had been repainted. The look is now duplicated by furniture manufacturers.

The photo on the wall showed the Gutiérrez family in 1907, who had moved to the area in the 1800s. They owned the general store in the village of Corrales, as well as farmed and always gardened to sustain themselves, as there were no towns nearby. The sixth generation of the Gutiérrez family was a vet in town!

The china plates represented the Moorish influence brought by the Spanish explorers who had spent time in North Africa before coming to Mexico and then New Mexico. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll see etched styling on the bottom of the wooden shelf.

The parlor was one of the home's original rooms and was typical of homes that only had three rooms until World War II. The other rooms would have been a common room and a bedroom with an outhouse. The furniture had been sent from England, and the walls were made of crushed stone from the Jemez Pueblo. Photos of the Gutiérrez family, who built the house, adorned one wall.

When we walked down the hallway, Kate, the docent, explained that New Mexicans had to be the biggest recyclers because there was little to purchase locally. The tin items were made from meal boxes, and the former grain chest, which dated back to 1690, had been brought up on the El Camino Real from Mexico. 

The room had a traditional latilla ceiling made of wooden poles, or latillas, laid horizontally across larger beams called vigas. Latillas are typically made from thin, peeled branches or saplings, often sourced from pine or cedar. We had first come across latilla ceilings in some of the old mission churches in southern New Mexico. 

The second bedroom was added in 1920 and featured simple woodworking, with all items that Minge brought in as he continued to collect items from around the state. He had scouts or pickers to be on the lookout for things he might be interested in having. 

An image of San Ysidro was on one wall. A bigger ranch or hacienda would have had its own chapel. 

Part of the house was built around a massive Dutch elm tree, rather than having it cut down.

Kate explained that the gate intentionally only had a small door, so that only one or two people could enter at a time if the owners didn't know them. The gate nails were bent downwards to strengthen the gate, which had been made in Taos, northern New Mexico. Kate added that owners of larger homes in big cities in the state would have had gates and gatekeepers. 

Although hornos in New Mexico are generally associated with Native Americans, they originated in North Africa before becoming popular in Spain, Mexico, and New Mexico. The Minges cooked beef roasts in their horno, instead of bread, which it was traditionally used for, because it was challenging to obtain the correct temperature.

Off the long courtyard was the master bedroom added by the Minges, although the politically correct term is now the primary bedroom. Its latilla ceiling was made from snakeweed bushes to protect people sleeping in the bed from snakes dropping down on them!

The painting depicted Manuel Armijo, a New Mexican soldier and statesman who served as governor of New Mexico three times, between 1827 and 1846. The over six-foot-tall last governor had the bed sent from Paris, but the Minges discovered it in Socorro.

The early 1800s cupboard from Ysleta had been incorporated into the bedroom, making it appear very natural. I didn't take pictures of the windows made with mica, but according to Kate, it was very rare to have windows in a home. 

Lard was used to fuel the mica lanterns outside.

Mingue only built the Grand Salon to preserve the beams he'd found in Tomé, and because most small towns in New Mexico would have had a dance hall. The flagstones on the floor had come from the Laguna Pueblo, but the Minges installed the floor themselves. 

On one wall were retablos, or devotional folk art pieces, typically small paintings on wood, tin, or copper, depicting religious figures such as saints and the Virgin Mary. They were authentic paintings created by a Santero artist, who specializes in devotional art objects, primarily images of saints or Santos.

The salon even had a Juliet balcony!

After walking through the gates brought down from Santa Fe, we passed by a garden that had been planted with flowers and vegetables.

The blacksmith's shop contained an adobe press that required remudding annually.

Another structure contained the last Conestoga wagon - imagine the rough ride in the wagon on the 900-plus-mile journey from Franklin, Missouri, to Corrales, New Mexico! The metal wheels were later recycled, of course!

Do you know what these were used for? None of us on the tour did! They were grinding cornstones.

These two outbuildings were purchased in pieces in the 60s for $75 each by the Minges, but they had to be reassembled on site. It must have been more complicated than putting together an item from Ikea that comes with directions, at least!

One was used as a field kitchen and had a hardened clay floor with straw added to it. The items inside the surprisingly cool room were all original to the era.

Hanging up outside was an old bathtub for a weekly bath.

I took a picture of Kate standing by the cowboy cottage where she pointed out the deck of playing cards inside. These were unlike any we'd seen as they had no numbers, so the cowboys couldn't cheat!

The aptly named Old Stone Barn was constructed from a truckload of stones that took ten years to build. 

Oops, I've forgotten now which of these implements in the pictures below was a pinto bean rake. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a picture online that would help me identify the rake either. The rake was needed because settlers frequently ate the Three Sisters crops. All the implements were made of wood because metal was a rare commodity.

Also inside was a pinto bean sifter and an old wine press, as vineyards were established by the Italians and French in Corrales in 1860. I was surprised that the Spaniards had no part in cultivating grapes in this part of the state. 

Kate showed us a shepherd's cottage next and explained that people slept on the bunk beds and on the dirt floor, which was made by combining the clay, dirt, and sand. The first time Mingue made the clay combination and laid it down on the ground, grass grew, so he had to refigure the combination!

The Juliet balcony in the Grand Salon was accessed up these stairs.

The portable looms in the weaving room were built in 1775 without metal and had been brought up from Mexico on the El Camino Real. Hispanic men, not women, did the weaving on the looms from wool shorn from sheep that had also come up from Mexico. 

The yarn was always dyed, using flowers and native grasses. Wool from Churro sheep, originally from North Africa, was used more for blankets as it was too scratchy. Kate mentioned that indigenous Americans had huge flocks of sheep.

Touring the old homestead with Kate as the docent provided a great insight into the lives of Corrale's early settlers and the obsessive (or devoted?) Minge collectors. However, it was thanks to their hard work and dedication that Albuquerque residents and visitors have a lovingly preserved monument to a distinct way of life.  

Next & last post from New Mexico: Homeward bound via Espanola, Santuario de Chimayo, & High Road to Taos Scenic Byway.

Posted on July 12th, 2025, from our home outside of Denver, hours before Steven and I embark on our next adventure. We'll be returning to Iceland, where our international trips began in 2013, then taking a ferry up the west coast of Greenland, before flying to Arctic Canada and then to southern Canada, to the capital and my hometown of Ottawa. Right now, we're looking forward to escaping the heat advisories, which include record high temperatures, as well as record high overnight lows. Please, just don't remind me of this in a few weeks, when we'll be all bundled up in our winter gear and dreaming of the heat in Denver!