The Magdalena Municipal School District
is a Pre-K through 12th grade school, which is housed on a single
campus. MMSD has a multicultural student population of 455. The
ethnic structure of the district is approximately 47% Navajo,
29% Hispanic, and 24% Anglo or other. Additionally, in 1988 the
district implemented a four-day week schedule to help address
and accommodate students who are bussed significant distances.
Over half of all MMSD students are bussed, with an average bus
ride being 26 miles one way. The longest distance any one student
has to travel is 70 miles one way.
The Village of Magdalena is located on the edge
of the Cibola National Forest, at the base of the Magdalena Mountains
in central New Mexico. The nearest city is Socorro located 26
miles to the east, Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city,
100 miles to the northeast. Magdalena’s population is approximately
1,100 and reflects the community’s unique history as a mining
town and as one of the largest cattle shipping centers west of
Kansas City. Its nickname, “Trail’s End,” is
an enduring reminder that for nearly 70 years (1890s-1960s) Magdalena
was the end of the trail for cattle drives originating from Arizona
to southern Colorado.
Today the community’s principal industries consists of education;
the federal government in the form of the National Forest Service;
the National Radio and Astronomy Observatory, which operates the
Very Large Array (the worlds largest radio telescope) located
on the San Augustine plains 25 miles west of Magdalena; the Bureau
of Indian Affairs which operates a charter school and Indian Health
Services clinic on the Alamo Navajo Indian reservation; and, finally
ranching. The public school district is the largest employer.
The Alamo Navajo reservation is located 29 miles north of Magdalena,
and is a vital part of the community at large. Although Alamo
is a Chapter of the Navajo Nation, it is located approximately
200 miles southeast of the largest reservation in Arizona. Because
of their isolation, the Alamo people have maintained a unique
traditional and linguistic heritage. The Alamo band is the only
living Native American group who is a blend of Navajo and Apache
tribes. The Alamo dialect (Navajo) is predominate in the homes
and in all tribal government, religious, social, and cultural
interactions.
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