San Ysidro

The village of San Ysidro right off the crossroads of U.S. Highway 550 and NM Highway 4, at the south end of the Jemez Valley in norther New Mexico. The Jemez River runs down out of the mountains through the settlement before joining the Rio Salado to the south. Established by Spanish settler Juan Trujillo and several other families in 1699, San Ysidro is the oldest settlement still standing in the area.

Old Church at San Ysidro, Cathy.

The village was named in honor of the patron saint of farmers, also the occupation of the newly arrived settlers. San Ysidro was an 11th century Spanish saint venerated across Colonial New Mexico. He is typically shown wearing trousers, a red shirt and flat farmer's hat, accompanied by a team of oxen and plow. An angel is often seen accompanying the saint, performing the actual labor so the holy man can pray and commune with God.

Exterior sets for "Love Ranch", a Taylor Hackford film, were built outside of San Ysidro in 2007. The movie follows the lives of Joe and Sally Conforte who ran the Mustang Ranch, the first legal brothel in the US. But you wont find any brothels, legal or otherwise in this tiny village of less than 300 people.