HISTORIC ATTRACTIONS / HISTORIC SITES
Bandelier National Monument
New Mexico Route 4
Los Alamos 505-672-3861
www.nps.gov/band
Best known for mesas and sheer-walled canyons as well as several thousand ancestral Pueblo dwellings found among them, Bandelier also includes more than 23,000 acres of designated wilderness. The best-known archeological sites in Frijoles Canyon were inhabited from the 1100s into the mid-1500s, although the area was inhabited before that time.
Coronado State Monument
485 Kuaua Road
Bernalillo 505-876-5351
www.nmhistoricsites.org/coronado
The partially reconstructed ruins of the ancient Pueblo of Kuaua is featured at the monument named for Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, who probably camped near the site with his soldiers in 1540 while searching for the fabled Cities of Gold. The pueblo was occupied from 1300 AD and abandoned near the end of the 16th century.
El Camino Real International Heritage Center
Socorro 575-854-3600
www.nmmonuments.org
The center tells the story of the first European settlements of North America and the road that made it possible through exhibitions, trails, and programs. Visitors to performances or events in the outdoor amphitheater will hear the traditional music and songs that once were enjoyed around the campfires.
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Gila National Forest
Silver City 505-536-9461
www.nps.gov/gicl
Surrounded by national forestland, this site offers a glimpse of the homes and lives of the people of the Mogollon culture who lived in the Gila Wilderness from the 1280s through the early 1300s. The surroundings probably look today very much like they did when the cliff dwellings were inhabited.
Jémez State Monument
Jemez Springs 505-829-3530
www.nmmonuments.org
The ruins at Jemez are among the most impressive in the Southwest, and a 1,400 foot interpretive trail winds through the seven-acre site to add educational highlights. The visitor center contains exhibits interpreting historic events from the perspective of the Jemez people.
Petroglyph National Monument
Las Imagenes Visitor Center
4735 Unser Boulevard
Albuquerque 505-899-0205
www.nps.gov/petr
Ancient petroglyphs are surrounded by a world teeming with native wildlife, from hawks spiraling down from the high mesa to roadrunners scurrying into the sage or a desert millipede. Petroglyphs and associated archeological sites provide glimpses into a 12,000-year saga of human life.
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
Mountainair 505-847-2585
www.nps.gov/sapu
Once thriving Pueblo Native American trade communities seen ripe for missionary efforts in the early 17th century, although by the late 1670s the entire Salinas District was devoid of Indian and Spaniard settlers. Today’s ruins include four mission churches and the magnificent ruins of three large Anasazi Pueblos that date back to the 1200s.
Historic Markers
New Mexico launched its Historical Marker program in 1935 — an historical occasion in its own right. As you travel through the Albuquerque area, you’ll find sites and moments from yesterday spelled out on road signs along the way.
#6 Pueblo of Sandia
The Pueblo was settled for the second time by Tiwa-speaking refugees and a few Hopis in 1748. In 1680, the Pueblo was abandoned at a time when many of the Tiwas fled to Hopi country during a revolt. The church was built in 1864 and renovated in 1976.
#8 Bernalillo
On the Camino Real, Bernalillo was founded after the 1692 Spanish conquered New Mexico for the second time, a siege led by Diego de Vargas in 1692. This is also the place where Vargas died in1704.
#12 Spanish Entrada Site
Among the many prehistoric and historic sites nearby is the camp where Coronado’s troops may have spent the winter of 1540.
#62 Old Town Plaza
On the Camino Real, the plaza dates from the early 18th century. The Confederate flag waved for a short time in March of 1862 when General Henry H. Sibley and his Texas volunteers occupied Albuquerque.
#65 Inglesia De San Ysidro
Dedicated to San Ysidro, the patron saint of farmers, this church was built in 1868 after a flood destroyed an earlier building. The church integrates materials that were salvaged form the original structure.
Historic Route 66
America’s “Mother Road” still paves the way to attractions and wonderful stops as it meanders past New Mexico’s cities, Pueblos, and landmarks. The famous highway is the focus of preservation efforts, including the restoration of vintage Route 66 neon signs that now glow with their original brilliance. From the wonderful TeePee Curio Shop sign in Tucumcari to the wild and crazy neon Rotosphere in Moriarty or the elegant Lexington Hotel sign in Gallup, the beauty and artistry of classic neon is once again dazzling and delighting Route 66 enthusiasts.
Yesterday’s streets sprung to life when the sun set into the crimson Western sky, painting the town with a palette of ruby reds, sapphire blues, and emerald greens that promised exploration and discovery. Neon cowboys, sombreros, teepees, cactus, longhorn steers, thunderbirds, swallows, ponies, and other critters and characters always came out at night to beckon the weary or adventurous traveler. Places with neon-lit names like the Bow and Arrow, the Royal Palacio, the Pig Stand, the Lariat, the Oasis, the Arrowhead, the Desert Sun, and the Trails West called out to passers by to stop for a truly unique experience.
Maps are available upon request for those who want to rediscover the enchantment and colorful attractions along America’s most famous highway, Route 66:
Route 66 Association of New Mexico
Albuquerque
www.rt66nm.org
Albuquerque’s Rich Legacy
It was the ancient Anasazi Indians who first settled in northwestern New Mexico from 1100 to 1300 AD, forming several communities that were connected by a sophisticated network of transportation and communication. According to expert estimates, as many as 15,000 simple, agrarian people were living peacefully in the middle of the Rio Grande Valley by the late 14th century. In 1540, the Spanish explorer-conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his company arrived, searching for gold in the mythical seven cities of Cibola.
By 1706, a self-serving and ambitious provisional governor by the name of Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdez had petitioned Spain for permission to declare the region a villa, naming it Albuquerque in honor of the Duke, Viceroy Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva. It comes as little surprise that the Duke approved the petition, Cuervo had his villa, and Albuquerque is still affectionately known to its residents as The Duke City.
In the late 1800s, Albuquerque welcomed a new element to community life — one that would change the economic and population growth forever — the railroad. As early as 1942, the Sandia National Laboratories was established as a highly restricted munitions research and development facility. The next year, the Army claimed a former school for boys that perched high upon a mesa above Santa Fe and launched the Manhattan Project to build the world’s first atomic bomb.
The military still plays a vital role in Albuquerque’s economy. In contrast to many military installations around the nation, Sandia’s importance has only increased since the end of World War II. In combination with its “sister” facility in Livermore, California, this exceptional facility has become the center for some of the most sophisticated and advanced scientific and technological exploration in the world.
