| Official Name: | San Rafael |
| Settlement Type: | Census-designated place |
| Mapsize: | New Mexico |
| Pushpin Map: | USA |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in New Mexico |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New Mexico |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Cibola |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 40.79 |
| Area Land Km2: | 40.79 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 15.75 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 15.75 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 1164 |
| Population Density Km2: | 28.54 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 73.91 |
| Timezone: | Mountain (MST) |
| Utc Offset: | -7 |
| Timezone Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -6 |
| Elevation Ft: | 6510 |
| Coordinates: | 35.1064°N -107.8722°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 35-69875 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2584213 |
San Rafael is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 933.[2] Also known as "Bikyaya" or "El Gallo", it lies at an elevation of above sea level and is located in north-central Cibola County at (35.1125386, -107.8825580). New Mexico State Road 53 passes through the community, leading north 3miles to Interstate 40 and 5miles to the center of Grants, the county seat.
An 1850 U.S. Army map shows a Hay Camp near San Rafael. Fort Wingate was established (moved from Seboyeta, New Mexico) by Lt. Colonel J. Francisco Chavez, 1st New Mexico Infantry under the orders of General Edward Canby in 1862. It was located near a large spring and designed to house four companies of troops. Colonel Kit Carson and four companies of New Mexico Volunteers used this fort. Carson was ordered by General Carleton to round up first the Mescalero Apache, then the Navajo and send them to Bosque Redondo. San Rafael was a stop on the Navajo's journey to and from Fort Sumner. In 1868 the garrison and name of the fort was transferred to the former site of Fort Lyon, near Gallup.[3] [4]