Volunteer docent Magda Maria seeks about $2 million to shore up historic Socorro Mission, announces Oct. 17 fundraiser

Magda Maria, a volunteer docent and lifelong resident, told attendees the historic Socorro Mission in Socorro City needs major foundation and roof work and the community faces a roughly $2 million repair bill. She urged residents and visitors to support a fundraiser scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, and described planned events including a mission tour, a visit to the old mission site, student performances, mariachi and matachines groups, food and a silent auction.

The mission traces its local community origins to events tied to the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, Maria said. She described Spanish arrivals in the region beginning in 1598 and said tribal families and mission settlements developed for decades before the 1680 revolt. According to Maria, people from the Tiwa nation at Isleta and the Po nation relocated and established sites, with dates she cited in October 1680 for early settlements in the area.

Maria said the current adobe mission is the third structure on the site. Earlier pueblo settlements near Bulldog Park were washed away by floods in 1740 and again in 1829; the present building was constructed after the 1829 flood. The mission has been repeatedly repaired over centuries; it was closed for safety in 1994–95 and underwent a major restoration project that began around 2000 and finished in late 2005, she said.

Describing the building’s vulnerabilities, Maria said the mission’s adobe walls and lack of a formal foundation leave it especially at risk from moisture. She said water intrusion and erosion are persistent threats and that earlier repairs focused on exterior cracks and perimeter brickwork. She described the next phase of work as focused on installing a new roof and driving water away from the building’s base to stabilize the structure.

Maria pointed out historic elements inside the mission, saying some roof beams date to earlier pueblo periods and are largely cottonwood timbers with painted motifs — including a black diamond representing the four cardinal points and sun imagery — and that several altar portraits were salvaged from an earlier mission after a flood. She said community members, including an effort led by Marty Loya, have launched the current fundraising campaign because the building lacks a foundation and is “sinking slowly.”

The fundraiser, Maria said, will begin at the mission with tours and activities, proceed to the old mission site for a commemoration, and conclude with food, music and performances at a nearby bodega. She invited the broader Socorro City community to contribute and listed the campaign website as socorromissionrestoration.com for donations and information.

The presentation emphasized the mission’s cultural and historical value to the community and asked for local support to cover the estimated costs for the next phase of repairs. Maria framed the appeal as protecting an artifact of local history and urged participation in the Oct. 17 event.