El Macho Traditional Cache
turtlehunters: Unable to maintain
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Historic one room church still used occasionally, with an active cemetery.
San Antonio Cemetery surrounds this church. Throughout the 1900's this church was also known as San Antonio-El Macho or simply San Antonio. Spanish American colonists built a 16'X26" church in 1858 in the Pecos Canyon at El Macho. In 1966, Calvin Horn described the church as being red sandstone, having nine rows of pews with room for four people on each pew on each side of an aisle. This church replaced the one built by settlers in the 1830's and was restored in the 1950's after a back wall collapsed.
During the restoration, workers found 35 bodies in wooden coffins under the church floor. They were reburied in a common grave.
Spanish settlers in New Mexico, including the Pecos area, were burying some people "en la capilla" or "en la iglesia" before 1900. The first recorded burial at El Macho is 1904, but there had to have been burials much earlier. There is an older cemetery on the hill above the church from the early 1900's. (Information provided by Frank Collins of Cowles, NM)
The church has no electricity, plumbing, nor heat other than a wood stove and is most active for La Posada on Christmas Eve. Mass is celebrated here about once per month. Worship information would be available through St. Anthony's RC Church in the Village of Pecos.
The grounds are lovingly cared for by a couple of families who likely consider the place private, although it is not. However, it would be respectful to treat it as such and as a sacred space.
To find the small cache look for what is in plain sight.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
n pnpur jvgu n gehyl zntargvp crefbanyvgl
qba'g jbeel nobhg n ybt gb fvta - whfg erpbeq vg ba yvar
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures