Ribera, NM

Ribera is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in San Miguel County, New Mexico. The 2020 census counted 314 residents. Located in the northern part of the state, it is at the foot of Rowe Mesa and along the Pecos River, 50 miles southeast of Santa Fe. The town is divided by Interstate 25 and Route 3, which was along the original Route 66, and a great deal of evidence from the famous motor-tourist route still remains in the form of old rusted cars and long abandoned structures. West Las Vegas High School is the area high school. The short version is that Ribera carries an earlier story into the places people know and use now. That is the local read on Ribera: its past remains attached to the places people use now. The area is home to many artists and ranchers. Ribera is home to many artists.