Complete Guide to New Mexico Bigfoot Sightings (1976–2025)

New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, is a state of vast deserts, rugged mountains, and dense forests, where tales of mysterious creatures have thrived for generations. Among these, Bigfoot sightings in New Mexico stand out as a captivating blend of folklore, eyewitness accounts, and ongoing investigations.

From the towering pines of the Gila National Forest to the remote reaches of the Navajo Nation, reports of a large, hairy, bipedal creature—often called Sasquatch—have intrigued locals, researchers, and cryptozoology enthusiasts.

This article offers an in-depth exploration of New Mexico Bigfoot sightings, detailing documented encounters, investigative efforts, and their cultural significance, while examining their place among other unexplained phenomena in the state.

New Mexico Bigfoot Sightings

New Mexico’s diverse landscapes, from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the Chuska Range, provide a backdrop for numerous Bigfoot sightings in New Mexico. These encounters describe a creature typically 7–10 feet tall, covered in dark or grayish fur, with human-like features and a potent odor often likened to skunk or decay.

The state’s rich Native American and Hispanic heritage weaves these sightings into a tapestry of ancient legends, where Bigfoot may share traits with figures like the Navajo yee naaldlooshii (Skinwalker) or other mythical beings.

Below is a comprehensive table of some of the best documented New Mexico Bigfoot sightings from 1976 to 2025, drawn from credible reports, primarily from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) database, organized chronologically.

Table of Bigfoot Sightings in New Mexico:

Notes: While some witnesses remain anonymous to protect privacy, named individuals like Alejo Lozano and Irwing Aguilera are included where documented. The sightings span diverse regions, from the forested Mescalero Reservation to the arid Tularosa Basin, reflecting the creature’s adaptability to varied environments.

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Investigation Efforts in New Mexico

The search for Bigfoot in New Mexico is a vibrant field, with both national organizations and local investigators contributing to a growing body of evidence. The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), founded by Matt Moneymaker in 1995, has been a cornerstone of these efforts, conducting expeditions in areas like the Jemez Mountains and the Gila National Forest.

BFRO teams employ advanced tools such as thermal imaging cameras, night-vision goggles, and audio recorders to capture potential evidence, including a notable thermal video from the Jemez Mountains showing a large, heat-emitting figure moving through the forest. These expeditions often involve analyzing footprints, scat, and hair samples, though conclusive DNA evidence remains elusive.

Beyond BFRO, local researchers have made significant contributions. Rob Kryder, a Madrid-based naturalist and founder of Kryder Exploration, has tracked Bigfoot across the Sandia and Ortiz Mountains since capturing a 1995 photograph of a creature on a Sandia ridge.

Kryder’s investigations have yielded footprint casts, including one from a 12-foot-tall male, as well as hair and scat samples. He has documented behaviors like tree-pushing and bark-stripping, which he interprets as territorial or communicative acts. Kryder’s work has been showcased at regional conferences, such as one in Gallup in 2016, where he collaborated with Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum, an Idaho-based anthropologist and author of Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science. Meldrum’s analysis of footprint casts, some showing mid-foot flexibility unique to large primates, has bolstered the scientific case for Bigfoot in New Mexico.

Jesus Payan Jr., an actor from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, turned Bigfoot investigator after a 2000 encounter in Ruidoso, where he heard a prolonged howl-scream lasting 25–30 seconds. Payan’s Breaking Bigfoot YouTube series documents his findings, including fur, scat, and footprints from the Tularosa Basin.

He maintains habituation sites, using corn and apples to attract Bigfoot, and believes the creature exhibits human-like intelligence, constructing shelters and avoiding detection. His work emphasizes the Tularosa Basin’s arid environment as a potential Bigfoot habitat, possibly due to abundant wildlife and sparse human presence.

The Navajo Rangers, led by Jonathan Dover and Stanley Milford Jr., investigate Bigfoot reports within the Navajo Nation, often tied to livestock attacks. Their approach is methodical, focusing on physical evidence like photographs, audio recordings, and footprint casts. They maintain objectivity, dismissing anomalies lacking corroboration, such as a single footprint near Cloudcroft. Their work, part of a broader paranormal unit, reflects the Navajo Nation’s cultural context, where Bigfoot may be conflated with Skinwalker legends.

Hoyt Velarde, founder of Shadow Seekers, responds to Bigfoot-related nuisance calls in northern New Mexico, from Dulce to Shiprock. Velarde has reported encounters with a creature up to 20 feet tall eating apples and uses strobe flashlights to deter it. His investigations often involve tracking livestock predation, a recurring theme in Bigfoot reports.

Christopher Dyer, an anthropology professor, organizes field trips and is co-authoring a book with Meldrum on Southwest Sasquatch. Dyer has documented 17-inch footprints in Gallup and experienced the creature’s distinctive odor, described as a mix of rot, death, and skunk. Sydni Chernault, a documentary filmmaker, collaborates with Dyer, collecting soil and pine needle samples for DNA analysis to support a forthcoming film on New Mexico’s Bigfoot phenomenon.

Other groups, such as the Native Oklahoma Bigfoot Research Organization (NOBRO), have extended investigations into the Four Corners region, including parts of New Mexico, following reports of large footprints and sightings. The North American Wood Ape Conservancy has also explored New Mexico’s Bootheel region, documenting potential Bigfoot nests made of woven branches.

These efforts, combined with local folklore and community reports, create a robust investigative landscape, though skeptics argue that misidentifications of bears or hoaxes may explain many sightings. Despite this, the dedication of New Mexico’s researchers, blending scientific rigor with cultural sensitivity, keeps the search for Bigfoot alive.

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Detailed Case Studies

June 2024, Catron County

• Witnesses: Irwing Aguilera and his 13-year-old son
• Location: Jeep trail in the Gila Mountains, Catron County
• Description: On June 30, 2024, at 9:45 PM, Irwing Aguilera and his son were driving a Ford F-150 Raptor on a jeep trail in the Gila Mountains during a drizzle. Their fog lights illuminated a creature standing in a meadow between pine forests at 7,000 feet elevation. Aguilera described it as having matted hair resembling dreads, a flat triangular nose, and biceps “bigger than my thighs.” Initially mistaken for a stump, the creature’s presence instilled a sense of “doom,” with Aguilera fearing it could overturn their truck. The encounter lasted seconds before the creature moved into the forest. Returning a week later, after a 1,000-mile drive from South Texas, they found a single footprint at the exact spot, which they photographed. BFRO investigator Matthew Moneymaker noted the location’s proximity to the Socorro/Catron county line and suggested a re-enactment to verify details. Aguilera’s testimonial emphasized the creature’s massive build and the emotional impact, stating, “It was no bear. I’ve hunted all my life, and this was something else—something huge and aware.” The footprint, approximately 16 inches, showed dermal ridges, a detail often cited in Bigfoot research.

October 2013, San Miguel County

• Witness: Anonymous scientist
• Location: Behind a gas station near Las Vegas, NM, San Miguel County
• Description: On October 18, 2013, at 1:00 AM, a scientist in the medical field, described as a skeptic, encountered a creature behind a gas station off I-25. Initially estimated at 8–10 feet but later revised to 7–8 feet, it had matted dark brown hair, large human-like hands, and a defined jaw and cranial structure. The creature emitted a strong odor, likened to cat urine or musk, and appeared irritated by the witness’s presence, fleeing into a nearby wood line after 8–11 seconds. The scientist, armed with a .45 pistol, was too frightened to draw it, later reporting sleeplessness for days. BFRO investigator Boyd Omer interviewed the witness, noting his credibility and emotional distress, stating, “He was shaken. His worldview was challenged by something he couldn’t explain.” The area, near the Gallinas River and Santa Fe National Forest, may have provided food from a nearby dumpster, explaining the creature’s presence. The scientist’s account emphasized the creature’s graceful yet heavy gait and its human-like features, which conflicted with his scientific training.

July 1980, San Juan County

• Witnesses: Navajo man (J.B.) and family
• Location: Chuska Mountains, San Juan County
• Description: In July 1980, near a mountain lake in the Chuska Mountains, J.B., a Navajo man, and his family—including his grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins—encountered a grayish-brown, man-like creature. J.B. first saw it kneeling at a well, initially mistaking it for a black bear. He recounted, “It turned its head, looked right at me, and I ducked behind a tree. It wasn’t a bear—it was too human-like.” That night, at 2:00 AM, the family saw its shadow on their tent, but their dogs did not bark, an unusual detail noted in Bigfoot lore. Over subsequent years, the family reported multiple encounters, including stories of the creature stealing sheep and attempting to enter a pickup truck. J.B. stated, “It’s like it knew how to stay hidden, but it was always around, especially near the sheep trails.” The Chuska Mountains’ rugged terrain and sparse population were cited as ideal for such a creature’s elusiveness. The family’s accounts, shared orally within the Navajo community, align with cultural beliefs about supernatural beings, though J.B. insisted, “This wasn’t a Skinwalker. It was something physical, something real.”

These cases, spanning urban fringes to remote wilderness, highlight the emotional and cultural impact of Bigfoot sightings in New Mexico, with witnesses grappling to reconcile their experiences with known wildlife.

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Bigfoot Sightings vs Other Cryptid Sightings in New Mexico

New Mexico’s folklore is rich with cryptids beyond Bigfoot, each tied to specific cultural narratives and geographic locales. These creatures, often reported in similar remote or forested areas, reflect a shared fascination with the unexplained, though direct links to Bigfoot remain speculative.

• Chupacabra: The Chupacabra, or “goat-sucker,” is a reptilian or canine-like creature blamed for livestock attacks, leaving puncture wounds and drained blood. A 2000 incident near Caballo involved a rancher finding a hairless, mummified corpse, later identified as a coyote with mange. Reports persist in rural areas like the Tularosa Basin, where unexplained livestock deaths fuel speculation. These incidents, often in arid regions, overlap geographically with Bigfoot sightings but lack physical evidence connecting the two.
• Skinwalkers: In Navajo culture, Skinwalkers (yee naaldlooshii) are witches who transform into animals like coyotes or wolves. Sightings in the Navajo Nation, including San Juan and McKinley Counties, involve eerie encounters or unexplained illnesses. These stories, treated with cultural reverence, share Bigfoot’s association with remote areas but are rooted in spiritual rather than biological explanations.
• La Llorona: The Weeping Woman, a ghostly figure from Mexican folklore, is seen near rivers like the Rio Grande, mourning her drowned children. Described as a tall, white-clad woman, her sightings in places like Las Cruces are spectral, contrasting with Bigfoot’s physicality. No direct connection exists, though both evoke fear of the unknown.
• Mogollon Monster: Similar to Bigfoot, the Mogollon Monster is a hairy, bipedal creature reported in the Mogollon Rim, extending into New Mexico’s Gila region. Sightings describe a 7–8-foot figure in forested areas, mirroring Bigfoot reports. Some researchers speculate it may be the same creature, adapted to different terrains.
• Other Phenomena: New Mexico hosts unexplained events like the Taos Hum, a persistent low-frequency noise, and UFO sightings, notably in Roswell (1947) and Dulce, where alleged underground bases fuel conspiracy theories. These phenomena, while not cryptids, contribute to the state’s mystique. For example, Dulce’s UFO lore sometimes intertwines with Bigfoot reports, as both involve secretive, elusive entities in the same region.

While Bigfoot sightings in New Mexico share geographic and cultural overlap with these cryptids, particularly in remote areas like the Four Corners, no concrete evidence links them. Navajo traditions may interpret Bigfoot as a Skinwalker, while Hispanic communities might see parallels with La Llorona’s haunting presence. The common thread is a cultural lens that interprets mysterious encounters through folklore, shaped by New Mexico’s diverse heritage.

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Conclusion

Bigfoot sightings in New Mexico weave a compelling narrative of mystery, blending eyewitness accounts, cultural folklore, and dedicated investigations. From Alejo Lozano’s 1976 encounter in Otero County to Irwing Aguilera’s 2024 sighting in the Gila Mountains, these reports reflect a persistent belief in an elusive, bipedal primate roaming the state’s wilds.

While skeptics attribute New Mexico Bigfoot sightings to misidentified wildlife or hoaxes, the passion of researchers like Rob Kryder, Jesus Payan Jr., and the Navajo Rangers ensures the quest for answers continues, enriching the state’s legacy of the unexplained.