Tours to start at Old Main prison in Santa Fe

Tickets are now available for upcoming tours of a closed New Mexico prison where one of the nation's deadliest riots took place.

 The New Mexico Department of Corrections said this week the state is selling tickets for "Old Main" prison tours that begin in May. Tours of the prison outside of Santa Fe are scheduled twice a month and will continue through October. Last year, corrections officials opened the historic site for limited public tours. 

In February 1980, inmates at the prison killed 33 fellow prisoners in a violent clash that included beheadings, amputations and burned bodies. More than 100 other inmates and guards were hurt in the 36-hour riot fueled by overcrowded conditions.

 Officials hope to eventually to turn the site into a museum.

Information from The AP. 

Tours to start at Old Main prison in Santa Fe