History of the Albuquerque Indian School Cemetery

Some years later, AIS designated a 7,230 square foot plot in the northwest corner of its campus as a cemetery. Although there is no formal documentation of when this cemetery was created, it is believed that burials took place in this cemetery between the years of 1916 and 1939. It is important to note that there have been various publications and signs that have placed the creation of the AIS cemetery in 1882 and some in 1884, but this is not supported by documentation. 

The AIS cemetery was located near the school pasture, gardens, and orchard. It was here that AIS students, AIS employees, and patients from the hospital at AIS who were unable to by returned to their homes, were buried. Most of the deaths were from the infectious diseases of tuberculosis and pneumonia which ran rampant in Albuquerque at the time. The cemetery was maintained by caretaker Ed Tayitee until 1964 when he retired. The cemetery was laid out in the same fashion as other cemeteries at the time with organized individual burials laid out in a grid.

Many detailed records of the burials at the AIS affiliated cemeteries have been lost, presumably in the fires that occurred in the campus buildings after the schools closing in 1981. Local historians have worked to reconstruct burial records and a recent ground penetrating radar survey of the AIS cemetery has been conducted, although the City is not releasing the results of the survey at this time.

The cemetery at AIS and Historic Fairview Cemetery are not the only cemeteries with AIS affiliated deaths. Sunset Memorial Park and Mountain View Cemetery also have ties with the school and it's hospital.

The history of AIS is different than that of many of the other Indian Boarding Schools and Residential Schools throughout the U.S. and Canada. While many other schools were places of violent forced assimilation, abuse, and cultural genocide, AIS does not appear to fit into this narrative. While there was a cemetery at AIS, it was not a unmarked mass grave like those throughout Canada. Rather, it was a formal and organized cemetery not only for students but also for faculty, staff, and patients of the hospital at AIS, and many of those buried there were not victims of abuse but were either stillborns or had perished from infectious diseases that were prevalent in New Mexico at the time. Another element that sets AIS apart, is the fact that attempts were made to return the remains to their communities, and it was only when this wasn't possible that they were buried in Albuquerque. Some remains may have been unable to be returned due to technological limitations of the time and the fact that it would have been difficult to preserve and transport the remains to rural communities. Additionally, a first hand account mentioned that some communities did not want to the remains to be returned for fear of spread of disease. According to carefully compiled records of AIS affiliated deaths, whether faculty, staff, students, or those from the hospital, 257 of the 500+ remains were returned to their communities.

A series of break-ins and fires at AIS after its closure in 1981, led to the destruction of many of the school's records. As a result, there is currently no comprehensive data about those buried at AIS affiliated cemeteries. Local historians, however, have been conducting research on the four sites and have released some summarized demographic data. 

It is important to note that research is ongoing and that demographic data may change as new records are uncovered.