The 1980 Riot at Old Main State Penitentiary in Santa Fe, New Mexico

I have been lucky enough to be in Santa Fe, New Mexico this week for a Social Documentary class.  On Thursday I accompanied the journalist Angela Jackson to Old Main State Penitentiary where 33 people were slain during a riot in 1980. It was a great experience...and a little creepy too!

A chain hangs loose on the main corridor gates of Old Main State Penitentiary in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The corridor stands empty but in 1980 1,156 inmates shuffled through these halls.

The control room of Old Main State Penitentiary stands disheveled and dusty after being vacant for 15 years. During the 1980 prison riot it took a mere 15 minutes for prisoners to take over this control room after escaping from the medical infirmary.

This original cell block sits untouched after the 1980 riots. This block was built to hold 50 inmates, at the time of the riot it housed 200. 

Old Main was overflowing in 1980 and this cell block housed murders with those convicted with check fraud. During the riot cell block five was closed creating more close quarters for some of the worst criminals in New Mexico.

Lt. Vincent V. Vigil stands in front of cell block two. Vigil has worked in corrections for 18 years and hopes to help Old Main become a museum. The proceeds would help the penitentiary and community.

Fence lines the balcony of cell block 3 to prevent officers from falling or being pushed by inmates through their cell bars. This fence was added after the 1980 riots when several bodies were hung from the balcony.

 

Lt. Vigil points to a burn mark on the floor of cell block three where paint has been applied multiple times only to have the burned figure re-appear. Many employees and visitors claim to have experienced supernatural phenomena in this part of the prison. 

Old Main closed its doors to prisoners in 1998 but quickly opened them for movies like The Longest Yard and All The Pretty Horses. The whispers of hauntings have brought film crews from paranormal shows also. 

Many visitors see a figure in this door. What do you see?

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