With wheelbarrows full of mud and trowels in hand, Corraleños will gather on April 26 to take part in a uniquely muddy tradition: preserving the 157-year-old Historic Old San Ysidro Church, one layer of mud at a time.
The annual Mudding Day, organized by the Corrales Historical Society (CHS), marks the kickoff to ¡Viva Corrales!, a month-long celebration of community, culture and creativity. CHS has been putting on the event for nearly five decades, which brings together generations of villagers to help maintain one of Corrales’ most iconic landmarks.
“It’s all about community,” said Ken Martinez, CHS board member and past president. “We have fun, we eat, we work and then at the same time, we’re improving the grounds.”
Many Corraleños have spent decades re-mudding the iconic church, but first-time volunteers can jump in by learning how to mix adobe, tidy up the garden, organize the storage room or attic, or tackle odd jobs around the grounds — no matter your skill set, there’s a way to pitch in.
“For somebody who’s never been, they can learn how to make adobe, get their hands dirty and meet people from the community they might not know,” said Anne Van Camp, CHS President. “It’s just a really lively, fun day.”
According to Van Camp, volunteers get breakfast and lunch for helping spruce up the Old Church. She said all CHS asks is that people wear old clothes, bring gloves, sunscreen and a hat, plus any tools like a shovel, rake, hoe or trowel.
Martinez said volunteers will focus on mudding the front wall of the courtyard, not the church’s actual walls. He explained that for several years, the exterior has been professionally mudded due to weather damage and the deteriorating condition of the walls.
This summer, if all goes as planned, the church’s interior will be re-mudded. Experts recommend removing decades of layers to address cracking and start fresh with the original adobe.
“I encourage everybody to come out,” Van Camp said.
According to Van Camp, Viva Corrales is still a relatively new tradition, now in its third year. The monthlong celebration highlights the many events and activities happening throughout the village.
“We kind of bookend the month,” she said. “We start with Mudding Day and wrap up with Heritage Day on May 17. It’s a fun way for us to be part of the community and to be showcased as a big part of it.”
A living landmark
Originally built as a Catholic church in 1868, it was deconsecrated in 1961 and has gone through many updates since, according to Martinez.
“For me, it’s a real honor to be a part of preserving it, maintaining it,” Martinez said. “It’s got such a tradition with families in the village, especially the descendant families, many of whom served as altar boys, were married, baptized or confirmed here. So it’s been a central meeting place as a Catholic church.”
Now, it serves as the community hub for venues for events, celebrations, and local culture.
“I think whenever you say the old church, people have an automatic positive reaction to it,” Martinez said. “People talk about their grandparents and their great grandparents being involved with the church.”
The church has had an interesting life.
The Old Church has also had its moments on screen. In the 1970s, a film crew staged a fire for a TV pilot that was never aired, Martinez said. The scene included local extras, many of them children, who watched in awe as the church appeared to burn. Though it wasn’t a real fire, some attic timbers were scorched during filming, which is still visible. Other films and shows have been filmed in the iconic church as well.
“Some people think it really was on fire and it wasn’t on fire,” he said.
Another moment that stands out, Van Camp said, is when the Adobe Theater used the Old Church as a performance space after it was deconsecrated. The building was in rough shape at the time, and actors even used some of the windows as stage entrances and exits, with ramps and steps built to accommodate the setup.
How to participate
Mudding and clean-up day takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, at the Historic Old San Ysidro Church, 966 Old Church Road.
Volunteers are encouraged to bring gloves, a rake, a trowel, or any tools they have on hand. Old clothes, a hat, and sunscreen are also recommended.
Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks will be provided for volunteers and docents throughout the day.