New Mexico Historic Sites | December 2025

Celebrate the holidays at New Mexico Historic Sites!

It's that time of year when New Mexico Historic Sites celebrates holiday traditions throughout the state with the sparkle of farolitos or luminarias, holiday markets, and nativities. Here’s what’s happening at five of the eight Historic Sites this holiday season. We hope you will enjoy the magic of these unique sites, and remember, events are free to Museum of New Mexico Foundation members. Just show your card at the admission desks!

Connect to the history of Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner Historic Site with the annual Winter Letters and Farolito Tour on Saturday, December 6, 5 – 9 p.m. This interactive event connects visitors to the site’s history by using archival military correspondence and oral histories from the Diné (Navajo) and Ndé (Mescalero Apache) to bring the past to life. Take a staff-guided tour from 6 – 8 p.m. or a go on a self-guided audio tour. You can also explore the Memorial exhibition, Kids’ Corner table sponsored by Fort Sumner Public Library, listen to singer-songwriter Audra Brown, decorate sugar cookies, and eat posole and hot cider while it lasts. Tickets are $7 for adults and free for children 16 and younger, Tribal members, and Friends and MNMF members. Ticket link: https://my.nmculture.org/44478/51486.

Shop Native and local at Coronado Historic Site’s Winter Native Arts Market in Bernalillo on Sunday, December 7, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Purchase pottery, jewelry, leather work, and more directly from Native artisans. Pueblo vendors will offer delicious food and hot drinks for purchase. The site will be open for guided tours of the Painted Kiva and exploration of the museum and trails. Admission is free for New Mexico residents, children 16 and younger, Tribal members, Friends members, and MNMF members. Admission for non-residents is $7 for adults. Learn more at https://nmhistoricsites.org/calendar?&eventid=6993&view=detail

One of the most popular holiday traditions for New Mexico Historic Sites is the annual Lights of Gisewa at Jemez Historic Site in Jemez Springs. Held on Friday and Saturday, December 12 and 13, from 5 – 9 p.m., visitors will be dazzled by the illuminated remains of the ancient Gisewa Pueblo and San José de los Jemez Mission.  The evening’s program includes Pueblo dances between two bonfires by the Northern-Southern Pueblo Dancers from Jemez Pueblo and Ohkay Owingeh, Red Mesa Dance Group, and Lightning Eagle Dance Group from Jemez Pueblo. Native artisans will sell arts, crafts, and food at the event. Enjoy live musical performances by Adrian Wall (Jemez) and Steven Toya (Jemez/Zia). Tickets for timed entry are $20/adults, $10/children, and free to Native/Tribal affiliations, NM disabled veterans, NM foster families, Friends members and MNMF members. Visit https://nmhistoricsites.org/jemez for more info.

The newly opened Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site on the Mesilla Plaza is hosting four Nacimiento/Nativity Open Houses during the holiday season to share their collection of nacimientos, or nativities, on Saturdays and Sundays, December 13, 14, 20, and 21, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Visitors can take a self-guided tour to see the nativities, which were collected through the years by the Taylor family and represent a variety of artistic expressions and cultures from around the world. Can’t make it to the open houses? You can see the special holiday exhibition, "One Story, Many Perspectives: Exploring Nacimientos Through Art and Culture,” December 10, 2025- January 4, 2026. Admission for timed entry to the open houses is $15 for adults and $5 for children 16 and younger. MNMF members are free. Learn more at https://nmhistoricsites.org/calendar?&eventid=7001&view=detail.

Enjoy the sights of the holidays as more than 900 luminarias dot Fort Selden Historic Site in Radium Springs, on Saturday, December 20, 5-9 p.m. during the annual Noche de Las Luminarias. The event will offer a warm campfire to sit by, family-friendly activities, live music, and food and drinks for sale from Luchador food truck. Activities are mostly outdoors, so dress for the weather. Tickets for timed entry are $7 for adults and free for children 16 years and younger, NM disabled veterans, NM foster families, and MNMF members. Learn more at https://nmhistoricsites.org/calendar?&eventid=6999&view=detail.