Chacon, New Mexico
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1995. It stands in the Mora census division. It lies in ZIP code area 87713. It lies near Quemado Canyon. The Survey maps it on the Chacon quadrangle. It stands 8,166 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 11 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1954 USGS Raton quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Raton quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1965 USGS Chacon quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1983 USGS Taos quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1995 USGS Chacon quadrangle1:24000
Photographs
8 of 28 photographs shown, 1943Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.
Collier, John, Jr, 1943. Library of Congress
Collier, John, Jr, 1943. Library of Congress
Collier, John, Jr, 1943. Library of Congress
Collier, John, Jr, 1943. Library of Congress
Collier, John, Jr, 1943. Library of Congress
Collier, John, Jr, 1943. Library of Congress
Collier, John, Jr, 1943. Library of Congress
Collier, John, Jr, 1943. Library of Congress
Every photograph of Mora County
Fires near this place
37 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 37 fires within 5 miles of Chacon between 1993 and 2019, burning about 374 acres in total. 16 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Natural | 16 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 12 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 2003 | Natural | under an acre | New Mexico State Forestry Division | PICACHO |
| 3 September 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Carson National Forest | CAMP 1 |
| 7 August 2011 | Natural | 2.0 acres | New Mexico State Forestry Division | LOS ALAMITOS |
| 5 August 2003 | Natural | under an acre | New Mexico State Forestry Division | LUJAN |
| 28 August 2002 | Natural | under an acre | New Mexico State Forestry Division | ROMERO |
| 15 August 2000 | Natural | under an acre | Northern Pueblos Agency | APCH SPRNG |
| 4 July 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Carson National Forest | not named |
| 4 July 1994 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Carson National Forest | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
11 since 2021Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Chacon in 11 storm reports between 2021 and 2025: 9 flash flood, 1 debris flow, 1 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Chacon | $750,000 | Heavy rain across the Luna burn scar resulted in major flash flooding in Luna Canyon and surrounding areas, and the force of the water altered the landscape. Water and debris destroyed one bridge and many roads became impassable. An observer reported that the water in the narrow Luna Canyon was several feet high. A CoCoRaHS observer near Chacon reported that the Luna Creek, which is usually just a few feet wide became 100 yards wide. Campsites on private land were demolished. The New Mexico Governor declared a state of emergency in Mora County for the significant flooding. |
| August 2022 | Debris Flow | Chacon | $75,000 | A rock slide on the Calf Canyon burn scar caused by heavy rainfall impacted New Mexico State Highway 121 from mile markers 3 to 5. This forced the closure of the roadway and trapped vehicles on the road. Damages are estimated. |
| June 2022 | Flash Flood | Chacon | $75,000 | The Mora County emergency manager reported debris flow near a house west of Highway 121 along Lea Road. Damages are estimated. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Chacon | $75,000 | Rainfall totals just under one inch in a short period of time across the Luna burn scar resulted in flash flooding north of Chacon. The fast moving water and debris flow washed out large boulders and downed trees near Luna Canyon Road, and a private road to many cabins was also washed out. A CoCoRaHS observer reported that the Lujan Canyon road was impassable due to washed out culverts and large amounts of debris on the road. Damages are a rough estimate. |
| July 2022 | Flash Flood | Chacon | $50,000 | About 1.5 inches of heavy rain fell near Chacon on the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon burn scar. This caused flash flooding on area roadways, including Highways 121 and 519. Highway 121 reportedly had 2 to 3.5 feet of water along it while County Road B009 was under 5 feet of water due to a backed up culvert. Damages are estimated. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Chacon | $50,000 | Trained spotters near Chacon reported 30 to 45 minutes of heavy rain across the Luna burn scar resulted in significant flash flooding in the area as well as three to twelve inches of mud and debris. The rapidly moving water also displaced boulders that blocked a residential driveway. Damages are a rough estimate. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Chacon | $30,000 | A CoCoRaHS observer reported flash flooding along Luna Creek and Luna Canyon Road that resulted from heavy rain along the Luna burn scar north of Chacon. The observer also reported that some structures in the area had been damaged, but the extent or type of structures that sustained damage is unknown. Damages are a rough estimate. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Chacon | $25,000 | An estimated quarter of one inch of rain in under one hour on the Luna burn scar resulted in flash flooding in the area and areas downstream. This resulted in building damage along Luna Creek in Luna Canyon. The number of buildings damaged and to what extent is unknown. Damages are a rough estimate. |
| May 2025 | Flood | Chacon | - | A trained spotter near Chacon confirmed reports from various sources across social media and broadcast media of flooding across the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains resulting from heavy rain and heavy rain on snow within the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon burn scar. Photos and video were shared of high rises on area creeks and streams near Chacon within the Luna Creek. The NM DOT also posted reports of standing water on NM 434 between mile markers 7 and 14 between El Turquillo and Guadalupita, NM. |
| September 2024 | Flash Flood | Chacon | - | Fast flowing from a nearby culvert washed out a dirt road a few miles south of Chacon, within the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon burn scar. The location is estimated. |
| August 2022 | Flash Flood | Chacon | - | Heavy rain in Chacon near the Calf Canyon burn scar caused flooding across Highway 121. No damages were known. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guadalupita | 6.9 miles | 10 | |
| Holman | 7.4 miles | 10 | |
| El Turquillo | 7.6 miles | 12 | |
| Los Cocas | 8.4 miles | 10 | |
| Los Cisneros | 8.8 miles | 10 | |
| Los Medinas | 10.3 miles | 10 | |
| Cleveland | 10.4 miles | 16 | |
| Vallecitos | 10.6 miles | 16 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Chacon | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q19460927 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 915811. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.




