Church Street Café

Church Street Café

Central region of New MexicoThe Church Street Café is located in a former 18-room hacienda, nestled in the heart of Old Town Albuquerque, and dates back to 1709. Originally built as a residence by the Ruiz family, it was referred to as the Casa de Ruiz for nearly 200 years. One of the oldest structures in the New Mexico, it remained in the Ruiz family until the last family member, Rufina G. Ruiz, died in 1991, at the age of 91. After Marie Coleman purchased the property and began renovations for the café, she found that the building continued to be inhabited by the spirit of Sara Ruiz, Rufina's mother. Known to be a “curandera,” or healer, Sara was obviously not happy with the renovations and she once yelled at Marie, “Get him out of here, now!" when she brought in a contractor. Once a contractor was finally hired, buckets began to mysteriously get kicked around. These types of antics continued until Marie began to talk to the spirit. Employees have seen Sara’s spirit in the café, dressed in a long black dress and a number of customers report feeling her presence.