Santa Fe Loop of Route 66, New Mexico, 1926.
The old pre-1937 alignment of Route 66 in New Mexico, sometimes called the Santa Fe Loop, began 18 miles west of Santa Rosa at the junction of I-40 (Route 66) and U.S. Highway 84.
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado.
Fourteen miles above the junction is the tiny village of Dilia, New Mexico. People have lived in the area for at least 10,000 years, making their way along the Pecos River as far as southern Texas, where it empties into the Rio Grande.
The Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado first explored the area and passed through Pecos to the north and Santa Rosa to the southeast in 1540.
In May 1822, the Mexican land grant of 380,000 acres to Anton Chico was awarded to Manuel Rivera and 36 other men who applied, and soon several communities sprang up in present-day Guadalupe and San Miguel Counties of New Mexico. Some of these communities were on the Pecos River, and others, including Dilia, were on the Acequia del Bodo Juan Paiz canal. It is unknown whether this canal was built by local Indians or the Mexicans of the land grant.
Sacred Heart Church, Dilia, New Mexico by Kathy Alexander.
The first community built at this site was named Vado de Juan Paiz, probably during the land grant period, when the inhabitants farmed and grazed sheep and cattle. However, many of these settlements were short-lived due to the constant raids of the Apache and Comanche Indians.
The “new” town of Dilia was probably established in the late 19th century, as its Sacred Heart Church, also known as the Sagrado Corazon Church, was built in 1900. The town was said to have been named for the daughter of one of its settlers. The community received a post office in 1911, which lasted until 1968, when residents received mail from La Loma, about four miles west on the Pecos River.
Route 66 came through the town in 1926, boosting its economy. However, the town remained small because it did not appear on the 1927 Rand McNally Road Map. The Automobile Blue Book described the section between Santa Rosa and Romeroville as “gravel, sandy dirt, and stone, some of which is poor.”
Dilia was bypassed by Route 66 in 1937, with the new alignment making a more direct route to Albuquerque from Santa Rosa.
No more ice cream at this old store along Route 66 in Delia, New Mexico. Photo by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.
Several old buildings remain in this near ghost town, which has no open services. However, the Sacred Heart Church is still active. It is located about a block west of US-84, on NM-119.
Route 66 continues north on U.S. 84 for 26 miles to Romeroville. It meets with I-25, turns southwest, and follows the old Santa Fe Trail to Pecos through the Pecos River Valley.
Maestas Beer at Dilia, New Mexico, by Kathy Alexander.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2025.
Also See:
New Mexico Route 66 Photo Gallery
Route 66 Pre-1937 Alignment in New Mexico
Sources:
Hinkley, Jim; Route 66 Encyclopedia, Voyageur Press, 2016
New Mexico Legislature
The Route 66.com
