Be a part of New Mexico Prison History!

1st & 2nd Place Dr. W. Gary Rivera is a native New Mexico amateur photographer living in Albuquerque, who is employed at Sandia National Laboratories as a Physical Security and Explosives
Engineer. He has worked closely with many governmental agencies designing and evaluating security systems, including working with corrections departments to improve prison security. He is
also an adjunct professor of Explosives Engineering at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.

Gary's interest in photography goes back over 25 years to his years at Highland High School. His primary photographic interest can be best described as "nostalgic and abandoned". He enjoys
taking pictures of old cars, old houses, mining scenes, deserted industrial settings, an almost anything rusted and forgotten. He is always looking to photograph things just differently enough to
be interesting. In addition to topics from our past, he also enjoys nighttime photography as well as working with dogs and other domestic animals. Gary is a member of the Enchanted Lens Camera
Club in Albuquerque, which setup an Old Main photo shoot in November of 2011, which resulted in the winning photographs.

The New Mexico Corrections Department will be hosting tours once a month at the New Mexico State Penitentiary "Old Main" prison in Santa Fe, beginning February 2, 2012.
The "Old Main" is known for the prison riot that occurred on February 2, 1980.

The prison tours will be hosted once a month to display the history of New Mexico prisons for the past 100 years. The tours will be guided tours and guests will need to RSVP
before the event, in order for NMCD to maintain the size of the groups and to ensure well organized and educational tours.

Please call 505-827-8645 to be placed on the waiting list.
Thank you in advance for your patients and cooperation.

*Tours are scheduled for:
**February 2 - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
**March 9 - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
**April 13 - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
**May 11 - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
**June 8 - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
**July 13 - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
**August 10 - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
**September 14 - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
**October 31 - 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm
**November 9 - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
**December 14 - 10:00 am and 2:00 pm

*dates/times subject to change
** These tours are full - If you have reserved a spot on a tour, and can not come, your name will be added to the waiting list for future availability.

If you requested to be part of a tour by e-mail and are not on the list for a tour, please forward the original e-mail to nmcd-tours@state.nm.us and
you will be given a special tour date.

There is no heating or air conditioning at the "Old Main", so please dress appropriately.

Click here for driving directions

NM Centennial Official Site