Velarde, NM

Velarde is a census-designated place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The 2020 census counted 514 residents. In 1750, Juan Matias Velarde settled Velarde, at the time named La Joya after his Spanish-born ancestor, Juan Antonio Pérez Velarde, who settled near El Paso del Río del Norte in 1725. The community, located at the mouth of the Rio Grande canyon along the Low Road to Taos, had through its Spanish-settled history served mostly as a peaceful resting spot for passing travelers, especially for those heading north out of the low river country. Velarde is in Española Public Schools. Velarde has one elementary school, Velarde Elementary. That mix gives Velarde a clear local shape within New Mexico, with older layers still visible in current places. The local scoop is a place whose streets, landmarks, and institutions keep its earlier story close to the present.