Shrine of the Telles Family

After leaving the Tumacacori National Historic Park near Tubac, Arizona (more about that in another post) we turned south on US Highway 19 towards Rio Rico eager to catch a cutoff tip we had received from the Park Ranger who was ever so polite, helpful and full of stories.

We caught the cutoff and reconnected to New Mexico Highway 82 towards Patagonia and then on to Benson to get back on to US Highway 10 to continue our jaunt to Anet’s sisters place in Silver City, New Mexico.

As we travel it is our habit to stop and read the roadside historical markers. We saw a marker and pulled over to read about John Ward’s Ranch.

An interesting story in a bullet holed sign. Well we noticed a stairway next to the marker and wondered “What is that?” It was a stairway leading to a set of bars. A closed mine we thought. I went up the stairs an there was a grotto filled with candles of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Some were even burning.The gate was not locked and it appears to be visited often. I think the gate is to keep the animals out, just guessing however.

There are also candles outside the gate. These must be seasonal.

There was a plaque mounted above the cave and it read:

Shrine of the Telles Family
Begun 1941
Erected by Juan and Juanita Telles
Based on a vow to God for the safety of their sons in war.
Re-dedicated November 18, 1988
The Pimera Alta Historical Society

The dedication it must have taken to keep these candles burning all these years. The prayers that were surely said over and over boggle the mind. See the Pictures, speculate and enjoy.

This shrine is located on New Mexico Highway 83 just south of mile marker 16 on the east side. There is a parking area and the bullet holed  Historical Marker about John Ward’s Ranch.

We love finding these oddities and passing the stories on so they can be told and retold around our virtual campfire, the Internet blog. My the world she is a changing.

Anet & Charley Carlin

About The Authors – We love traveling together and do it oh so often and oh so well. While visiting our friends and relatives across the the Southwest we find continual beauty with a never ending supply of gardens, museums, shrines, missions, parks, monuments and art that bring constant joy to our hearts and fabulous stories to our web. Enjoy.