Canjilon, NM

Canjilon is a census-designated place in Rio Arriba County, northern New Mexico, along State Road 115. The community sits in the high country at about 7,832 feet, using the 87515 postal area, with Chama Valley roads and mountain distances setting the pace. The 2020 census counted 228 people. Canjilon is not a resort label or a highway exit town; it is a settled high-country community with a post office and a long local history.

The first settlers arrived around 1870, and by 1880 thirty-five families lived there. Chama Valley Independent Schools serves the community, tying Canjilon to the broader valley rather than to a separate local school system. State Road 115 is the everyday thread through the place, connecting homes, pasture, forest, and the northern New Mexico travel network. The local scoop is that Canjilon's scale can fool you: the Census footprint is small, but the elevation, post office, school district, and old settlement date give it a clear place in Rio Arriba County.