HISTORY OF THE SAN YSIDRO CEMETERY
Corrales, New Mexico
As written by Stan Belzer  

"The campo santo in Corrales is located west of the Old San Ysidro Church, on lands given to the church by the Gutierrez family in the 1860's.  The original campo santo, as well as Corrales' first church, dating from the 1750's, were located closer to the Rio Grande River.  Subject to flooding form time to time, the original church was obliterated by a major flood in 1868, at which time the construction of the Old San Ysidro Church was begun on higher ground.  Use of the campo santo at its current site may also have begun at that time.  Another major flood in 1904 swept away many of the gravesites at the original campo santo site.  The caskets that were recovered were reinterred in the eastern portion of the present campo santo and it has been in continuous use since that time. 

Reflecting the status of the Old San Ysidro Church as a visita, served by the Sandia Mission Church and Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Bernalillo rather than by a priest-in-residence, various members of the Gutierrez family managed the campo santo and maintained its records.  This practice continued until the status of Corrales changed in 1961 with the building of a new church and the arrival of a priest-in-residence.  

The character of the campo santo is marked by the variety of grave markers and memorials as well as of the family names that frequently appear.  These include not only those with obvious Hispanic roots,  including many descendents of Juan Gonzales (holder of the Alameda Land Grant and found of Corrales), but also those of French and Italian extraction.  These immigrants arrived in the 1860's and 1870's to plant vineyards and subsequently apple orchards.  The creativity shown by the use of a wide variety of materials for markers and memorials is another notable characteristic.  Even in the present day, the campo santo continues to expand as new interments occur."