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Mary's Bar

Mary Mora, who was 91 years old the last time that I saw her in late 2007, is the longtime owner of the old bar in the tiny town of Cerrillos, New Mexico. Mary has told several versions of the bar's history to me and other visitors during the time I've spent with her. She originally told me that the bar was founded by her husband in the 50's, but she recently told me that her father started it in 1944. The building itself dates from 1918 and was once a general store. Mary was born in Cerrillos and went to college in Albuquerque. After graduation she became a schoolteacher then a stay at home mother after marrying. Whatever the bar's origins, Mary has stood behind the counter for decades and is a walking encyclopedia of local history. She says most of the old people in Cerrillos were her students and they still come around to chat.

The Cerrillos Bar became known as Mary's Bar several years ago when a crew filming the movie Vampires used the town of Cerrillos as a set for part of the film. The film crew put up the Mary's Bar signs on the bar and then forgot to take them down when filming ended. Though the Mary's signs remain, Mary tells me that the bar is still really called The Cerrillos Bar. Mary' s Bar has been used for the Young Guns films as well, and Mary says that Emilio Estevez and Lou Diamond Phillips are her buddies. She made them authentic Italian spaghetti and meatballs while they were filming in Cerrillos. Mary is the daughter of Italian immigrants and speaks fluent English, Spanish, and Italian.

I discovered Mary's bar about a month after moving to Santa Fe. Anna took me to the town to photograph, and I took a photograph of the bar with several bikers sitting on the porch drinking. One of them objected to me photographing him, although once he realized that I wasn't a cop, he became very friendly. I didn't go inside that day but after visiting Cerrillos a few more times to photograph other buildings, a local woman told me to go inside and meet Mary. I went in and talked to Mary's daughter, Kathy, who now runs the bar day to day. I photographed her with the multitude of cats who inhabit the bar and Mary's home behind the bar. I went back a couple weeks later to give some prints to Kathy, and this time Mary was there. We talked for a while and she let me photograph her too.

The next time I went back was three weeks after I had last seen her, and the first thing that she said to me was: "Where's your girlfriend, you said you were going to bring her to meet me". I had promised to bring Anna, but she was sick the day I went to take Mary her prints. At 90, Mary remembered that promise I made the first time I met her and challenged me on breaking it weeks later! On January 13, 2007 I took Anna to Mary's Bar for the first time and made some new photographs. Mary made me promise to bring Anna next time I came to Cerrillos. The cats seem to increase in number with each visit, and Mary told us that she actually has six of them.

30 Photographs

 

The outside of Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. Bikers drink on the porch in front of the bar, and a motorcycle is parked in front of the building. The bar is an old west structure built in 1918 and is built of adobe with a tin roof. An American flag flys from the porch and a television antenna is mounted on the roof.

 

90 year old bartender Mary Mora behind the counter of Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. The wall behnd the bar is covered in old neon beer signs from Budweiser, Jim Beam, and Corona. There are several patriotic signs and American flags and a mounted deer head and owl.

 

The tip jar on the counter at Mary's Bar says: "God knows if you don't tip". This is handwritten on a piece of paper taped to the plastic jar.

 

90 year old bartender Mary Mora sits behind the counter in her small town bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico.

 

The bartender at Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico talks to a customer while a cat sits on his shoulders. Small town saloon in New Mexico.

 

Old grey cat laying on a chair in a dark room. The cat has an unfriendly look on its face.

 

90 year old bartender Mary Mora behind the counter of Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. The wall behnd the bar is covered in old neon beer signs from Budweiser and Corona. There are several patriotic signs and American flags and a mounted deer head.

 

90 year old Mary Mora works on a word find puzzle book late at night in her bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. Mary's Bar.

 

Liquor bottles in the display case next to the counter at Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. The three bottles are Hiram Walker peppermint, Jim Beam kentucky bourbon whiskey, and Wolfschmidt vodka. An old Dillard's department store ad covers the glass on part of the counter.

 

The handpainted wooden open sign that hangs from the porch pillar in front of Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico.

90 year old bartender Mary Mora sits behind the counter of her small town bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico surrounded by old beer advertisements and liquor bottles. A mounted deer head and an owl hang on the wall behind the bar.

 

Mary Mora's daughter Kathy sits behind the bar with one of her mother's cats on her lap. Mary's Bar, Cerrillos, New Mexico. A sign behind the bar has the Latin phrase illegitimi non carborundum and several beer advertisements and religious stickers. A tip jar sits on the bar counter.

 

The hand lettered signs next to the counter at Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico say: "In God we trust, all others cash. No credit, no checks, no plastic, no exception!". Another sign says you must be 21 years old to buy liquor.

 

Mary Mora's daughter, Kathy, stands behind the bar with a cat on her shoulders at Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. Old west saloon in a small town in New Mexico. The bar has many old beer advertisements behind the counter. There is a sign with the latin phrase illegitimi non carborundum on the wall behind the bar and a rach of small bags of potato chips.

 

An elderly woman tourist looks uncomfortable as she leans against a barstool in Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico.

 

A sticker on the glass display case next to the counter at Mary's Bar that says: "New Mexico Department of Revenue Luxury Tax Division Retail Cigarette Permit. Expires June 30, 1966". New Mexico cigarette permit from 1966 in a small town bar.

 

Mary Mora, the founder of Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. She is seen sitting behind the counter. Old metal bar stools sit in front of the wooden bar and old cabinets hang behind it.

 

Warm Morning model 521 woodburning stove at Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico.

 

Sammy, a hispanic man from Albuquerque who has many tattoos, was a customer at Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico.

 

The front door of Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico has two no smoking signs and a handpainted sign that says: "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service"

 

 

 

Christopher Crawford
Fort Wayne, IN

chris@chriscrawfordphoto.com

 

chriscrawfordphoto.com
and its contents are ©2008
by Christopher Crawford

 

Liquor bottles in the display case next to the counter at Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. The three bottles are Hiram Walker peppermint, Jim Beam kentucky bourbon whiskey, and Wolfschmidt vodka.

 

The outside of Mary's bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. The bar looks like an old west saloon. The building is adobe with a tin roof. A hitching rail stands in front of the porch.

 

90 year old bartender Mary Mora behind the counter of Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. The wall behnd the bar is covered in old neon beer signs from Budweiser, Jim Beam, and Corona. There are several patriotic signs and American flags and a mounted deer head and owl.

 

Mary Mora's daughter, Kathy, sits behind the bar while a fat gray cat glares at me from where he lounges on the bar. Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. The wall behind the bar is covered in beer signs and patriotic stickers. The counter is full of whiskey and liquor bottles.

 

A fat cat curled up on an old chair at Mary's Bar gives me a dirty look while another cat jumps into the window in the background. Mary's Bar is a small town saloon in Cerrillos, New Mexico

 

90 year old Mary Mora works on a word find puzzle book late at night in her bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico. Mary's Bar.

 

90 year old bartender Mary Mora sits at the table in her bar doing word find puzzles while two of her cats look on.

 

The sign by the door at Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico says: "We have a deal with the bank. They don't sell beer. We don't cash checks" The bar is full of hand lettered signs telling people Mary's rules.

 

Mary Mora counting money in the office at Mary's Bar in Cerrillos New Mexico.

 

The front window of Mary's Bar in Cerrillos, New Mexico is covered in metal bars. There is a handwritten sign taped to the outside of the window that says: "If you bought it somewhere else, drink it somewhere else!! And take your trash with you!"