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Nestled between sa国际传媒官网网页入口 and Santa Fe lies Madrid, which has more holiday lights than residents this time of year.

The once bustling coal-mining town, now has a population of 248 and a rich history of festive and decorative holiday displays, earning Madrid the name 鈥淐hristmas Town鈥� in the 1920s, according to New Mexico State Historian Rob Martinez.

Martinez said the man behind the displays was Oscar Huber. He became superintendent of the mines around this time, and to boost morale, he had the miners decorate for the holidays.

鈥淗e came up with the idea of decking the whole town out in lights and putting up Christmas images on the hills鈥︹�� Martinez said. 鈥淥n the hillsides there鈥檇 be images from the Christmas story, from the Bible, and even a massive, 35-foot-tall image of Jesus Christ that towered over the town.鈥�

He said Huber had characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck put up in lights north of Madrid, in an area called Toy Land.

鈥淚f you can imagine that, at the north end of town, this spectacle became known throughout the nation,鈥� Martinez said.

鈥淪o much so that legend has it that Walt Disney himself visited Madrid in 1930,鈥� Martinez said, 鈥渁nd supposedly was inspired by the bright lights to create an amusement park to be called Disneyland.鈥�

He said that it took months of preparation and hundreds of miners to string up to 150,000 lights that decorated the town the first year. The tradition kept going until World War II, when instead of a town of lights, it became a town of ghosts after the mine closed and people left in droves, leaving the town abandoned for several years.

Madrid resident Pam Sullivan said the town went up for sale in 1975, and people started to come back and reinhabit the old mining shacks.

鈥淔ast forward to 2025, it鈥檚 a wonderful tourist destination,鈥� she said.

While there are not as many lights up anymore, Sullivan said there is still a beautiful light display that draws in tourists and an annual parade. The decorations still have that 鈥渙ld flavor鈥� to them, she said.

鈥淎t night, it鈥檚 just that whole Main Street is just aglow with all the lights...鈥� Sullivan said, 鈥渁nd a lot of the people who live here as well will do lighting decorations on their homes as well.鈥�

鈥淲e still have the cut-out, hand-painted figures. We do not have plastic blown up, various things out there,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 still that historic charm, and you really feel like you鈥檙e stepping back into a piece of history.鈥�

The Madrid Christmas Parade will make its way down Main Street at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, followed by the annual lighting of the town.