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Unveiling of two time capsules in Hub City
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BELEN — What will the world be like in the year 2025?
That was the question put to school children throughout the Belen Consolidated Schools 25 years ago.
As the world prepared to tip over into a new millennium, the future seemed like such a bright and shining goal. Would there be flying cars? Yes, according to several students. Food would be consumed in tablet form or from tubes. Televisions would be bigger, computers would be faster and people would be smart and kind.
Those carefully thought out predictions were wrapped in layers of protective plastic, along with copies of the first Valencia County News-Bulletin off the presses in 2000, numerous photos, a commemorative coffee cup and even a couple of VHS tapes that may or may not be viewable in the far flung future of 2025.
After two-plus decades beneath the sidewalk outside Belen City Hall the time capsule containing all those treasures was opened, as planned, on Tuesday, April 15.
“It was the city’s intention when the time capsule was sealed up to open it 25 years later on April 15,” said Belen City Manager Roseann Peralta.
Some of the items in the capsule were especially meaningful to city water clerk Marivel Rivera, who was moved to tears when she was shown the message she’d written to the future when she was in kindergarten.
“I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it,” Rivera said, gazing at the wide ruled paper with the crayon message in Spanish.
She was also able to find a photo of a group of students that included her brother among the items that had been sealed away.
Now that all those memories are seeing the light of day once again, the residents of Valencia County are welcome to come peruse them and maybe catch a glimpse of themselves or loved ones from back in the day.
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The contents of the time capsule will be on display at the Belen Public Library, 333 Becker Ave., beginning Friday, April 25, through Friday, May 2.
Peralta said the items contributed to the time capsule in 2000 would be reburied, along with a new collection of memories and pieces of future history.
“We will start gathering up things soon,” she said.
Another time capsule was unearthed last week at Our Lady of Belen cemetery. At the foot of the middle of three crosses surrounded by the Stations of the Cross, a small concrete box was buried on Good Friday in 2005.
Members of the OLB Cemetery Committee wanted to commemorate the families who had donated to the effort to pay for the 14 brass markers for the stations.
“We were supposed to dig it up after 10 years, but ...” said Martha Trujillo, a member of the cemetery committee since it was created by Romero Funeral Home owner Dickie Romero in 1989.
They gathered at the stations on Thursday, April 14, to unearth the time capsule, but its contents didn’t fare as well as the city’s.
Pictures, letters and prayer cards were put into a large plastic cookie jar before being placed in the concrete box and buried.
During the years, the jar cracked and moisture seeped in, destroying most of the paper items inside. A few photos survived as did the laminated prayer cards.
The rest of the items were so damaged that as they were pulled from the jar, they disintegrated into flakes and were carried off into memory by the winds.
“We still remember them and honor them,” said Rosie Chavez. “That’s what matters.”
Trujillo agreed, saying, “We’ll know better next time.”
