Camposanto Viejo in Lemitar, New Mexico

Phil Baca and Dan Bourguignon at the gravesite of their grandfather, Phillip Bourguignon

The Campostano Viejo, or "old cemetery", is an abandoned cemetery in Lemitar, New Mexico. According to the monograph "A Cultural Resource Investigation of Two Historic Sites in Lemitar, New Mexico" by Don Scurlock, the cemetery is located 300 meters southwest of the Sangrada Familia de Lemitar Church; 700 meters east of Interstate Highway 25.

The cemetery is in disuse, and I'm sure many people who live in Lemitar do not even know where it is. The last time I visited the site, it was covered with weeds and there were stray dogs running around nearby.

According to Scurlock's investigation, there are probably about 170 people buried in the cemetery. He lists a number of them who he believes are there. On the website Find a Grave, I have listed 25 people that the book describes as being buried there. He also lists another 40 people who may be buried there or at the Camposanto Iglesia - the church cemetery. Since he was not specific as to which cemetery they were buried, I did not include their names on the cemetery's Find a Grave page.

If you wish to read more about the cemetery, click on my summary and transcription of the book at the webpage "Other Lemitar, Socorro Co., NM Burial Sites" which is on the USGenWeb site.

Reference: "A Cultural Resource Investigation of Two Historic Sites in Lemitar, New Mexico" by Don Scurlock. Bureau of Land Management, Socorro, NM, 1982. Library of Congress Call # F 804 L46 S29 1982.