One of New Mexico’s bloodiest events in the past century took place within a mere 36 hours. Even today, its legacy lingers. The Santa Fe, New Mexico prison riot is a horrifying story that will never be forgotten – it’s truly one of the most horrific incidents in New Mexican history.

Please note, this tragic tale is not for the faint of heart. Acts of violence that took the lives of many individuals occurred. The following story presents the historical details, but note that these may be upsetting to some audiences, so please read with caution.

In the early morning hours of Feb. 2, 1980, a nightmare began to unfold at the New Mexico State Penitentiary near Santa Fe.
Ken Piorkowski/Wikimedia Commons
For a horrifying 36 hours, inmates took complete control over this maximum security prison. The infamous results that resulted during the New Mexico prison riot were the deadliest prison riot in the country's history.
This was actually not the first Santa Fe prison riot, so, to many, the events that occurred were not really a surprise.
Shelka04/Wikimedia Commons
Overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, improperly housing violent and non-violent offenders, the cancellation of prison programs, a shortage of trained staff, and guards bolstering a snitching system all culminated in the riot.
At approximately 1:40 a.m., aggravated inmates took advantage of unlocked doors during a routine cell count.
Denise Womack-Avila/Flickr
They jumped the guards in one cell block, took their keys and radios, and within minutes, the riot began. Inmates unlocked cells, guards were taken hostage, and prison gangs sent the violence spiraling out of control.
The details of the events that took place inside the prison walls are grisly and sickening.
Ken Piorkowski/Wikimedia Commons
Inmates who were alleged to be snitches were tortured, mutilated, and burned alive. Others were killed for grudges held by other inmates, and hundreds more were injured. Guards who encouraged snitching and engaged in beatings also faced retaliation, as they were held hostage. The image above is believed to be the burn marks from an inmate who was burned alive with a blowtorch.

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In total, 33 inmates were reported to have been killed.
Shelka04/Wikimedia Commons
However, it's possible that number was much higher. An accurate count of the prison population was not kept and, in the carnage, bodies were dismembered or completely incinerated. This image shows axe marks on the floor from an inmate's brutal death.
It took 36 hours for the violence to subside and for order to eventually be restored.
Sharon Sperry Bloom/Flickr
However, the prison was practically destroyed. The gymnasium, psychiatric offices, and an on-site church were burned. Offices and cells were in shambles. In news footage, the prison walls and floors were coated in blood, soot, and axe marks, revealing only a hint at the bloodbath that took place hours earlier. The following video showcases a few clips of footage taken shortly after:

In the end, only a handful of inmates were charged for crimes committed during the riot. Most simply received a few extra years added to their sentences.
Shelka04/Wikimedia Commons
In the months following the prison riot, the events continued to have an impact on daily occurrences.
Sharon Sperry Bloom/Flickr
Prisoner demands for improved conditions during negotiations took years to officially occur. However, state funding for corrections facilities - which had dismal appropriations in the years leading up to the riot - also doubled within a matter of days to hire more personnel and rebuild the prison.

The atmosphere within the prison, however, was still a violent one. In the months after the riot and when prisoners returned, four inmates were stabbed to death and two guards were killed.

Do you remember seeing coverage of the New Mexico State Penitentiary riots when they took place?

If you want to visit another abandoned place in New Mexico with a less bloody past, you can read and visit the ghost town of Cuervo.

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New Mexico Prison Riot

Tori Jane | July 30, 2022

When was the New Mexico State Penitentiary riot? 

On the days of February 2nd and 3rd, 1980, the New Mexico State Penitentiary riot took place. In this incident, inmates violently took control of the entire prison. Inmates murdered other inmates, many of whom had acted as informants for authorities. In the 36 hours the prison was under inmate control, 33 inmates were killed and more than 200 were treated for serious injuries resulting from the bloody brutality of the riots.  

What are some dark moments in New Mexico's history? 

Here are some dark moments in New Mexico's history:

  • New Mexico has a particularly morbid historic relevance as the site of the top-secret Manhattan Project, in which the world’s first atomic bombs were created and tested.
  • Santa Fe was, unfortunately, the site of some internment camps during World War II.
  • There’s a section of a neighborhood (also in Santa Fe) that was built right on over a cemetery. The cemetery is a bit different in its design, too, having many layers of bodies buried right on top of one another just under the surface of the earth.

 

You can check out plenty of haunted places in New Mexico, creepy abandoned places in New Mexico, and more that reflects its occasionally-dark history.  

Has there been more than one Santa Fe prison riot?  

Yes, there has been more than one Santa Fe prison riot including one in July of 1922 and another in June 1953. Neither of those was nearly as bloody and brutal as the 1980 riot – and no prison riots have been as violent and nasty since.  

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