Chama is in Rio Arriba County, and in the North Central New Mexico region. Chama is located northwest of Santa Fe between Dulce and Tierra Amarilla along US Highway 84 near Heron Lake and the Colorado state line.
The Village of Chama sits at the base of the scenic 10,000 ft. Cumbres Pass. Economic growth came to the town when the narrow-gauge railroad arrived in 1881, and Chama became a mining, logging and transportation hub for a lot of the New Mexico Territory. Nowdays, Chama has a cozy settlement of 1,250 residents.