Escondida, New Mexico is a very small town off I-25 about three miles north of Socorro. At first, it may seem as though there is no reason to stop here but a bit of exploring revealed two interesting and worthwhile locations.

Abandoned Escondida School

I have no idea what the actual address of the Escondida School is but I can tell you that it’s on the east side of the highway. That means you’ll have to drive through the claustrophobic one-way tunnel that goes under the interstate and, at first glance, appears to be for bicycles.

A quick internet search did not yield any information about this abandoned school. All I found was one other photograph posted on Flickr. My guess is that the school would’ve been built in the early 1900’s and later abandoned in favor of more modern facilities in the town of Socorro.

The Escondida school reminds me quite a bit of the also-abandoned Cedarvale School. Both schools share similar construction styles and even similar paint colors. I did not try to go inside. This structure is in bad shape and it would be extremely dangerous to go any further than the front steps.

All the windows on the back side of the building are boarded up except for one section that is completely collapsed. The one interior shot that I have is from wedging my camera through a hole in the boards.

Should you decide to visit the Escondida School, be advised that there is lots and lots of mesquite growing all around it. Mesquite is a devilish shrub/tree that is supremely well adapted to life in the scorching hot sun. It also acts as a natural barbed-wire fence. Mesquite is covered in inch-long thorns that will easily tear through jeans if you brush up against them.

Abandoned house in Escondida, New Mexico

Full disclosure, I came to Escondida to look for the school and this house was a lucky find. I normally try to provide some historical information in my blog posts but there isn’t much information available about Escondida, New Mexico. What I found is that Escondida is an unincorporated community in Socorro County and that the 2010 census reported a population of 47 residents. That’s not a lot to go on.

It’s not always obvious why places become abandoned. This clearly used to be a nice house that someone worked hard to build. It has a two car garage, walled-in patios, a family room with a fireplace and a basement.

Its current state of deterioration makes entering the structure a dangerous proposition, especially knowing that there is a basement. There are many areas where the ceiling has collapsed and allowed water to come inside. The wood floor is spongy and there are big holes. If you fell through the floor, you could potentially fall all the way into the basement. I shot all of these photos through windows and in doorways but did not go inside. Call me a party-pooper but I prefer not to fall through the floor and land in basement.