Oldest Places in Santa Fe

Out for a walk along the Old Santa Fe trail. It takes me away from the central plaza toward a couple very old buildings. The first we come to is San Miguel Archángel, a Catholic church built in 1610.

From Taos Back Along the River

Also next to the small church you saw posted yesterday, is this adobe gift shop. I liked the colors and the small niche in the wall by the front door.

Along the Rio Grande to Taos

The outing this day was to see if there was another location from which I could get a photo of the Black Mesa. This involved driving along the opposite side of the Rio Grande river from the mesa. Unfortunately, there is no way to see it from there. So our trip turned in to a drive along the river which lead us to Taos. The canyon of the river is back behind this tree...hard to see, but it is there.

Las Vegas

Our visit to Las Vegas was interesting. It is a small town that is down on its luck. Lots of empty storefronts here and there are clearly many people out of work. Yet, there are buildings on the the main plaza that are well maintained and some stores that seems to be hanging in there. We also decided to drive here because we enjoyed the show Longmire.

Loggerhead Shrike

We drove out east and north from Santa Fe to Las Vegas. Along the way, we visited the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge. Our timing was bad and there weren't many flavors of wildlife about to be seen. However, we did manage to see a loggerhead shrike not so very far away.

Rio Grande From White Rock

 

On a day with a light snow falling at higher elevations, we decided to drive to Los Alamos for a look about. My goodness how it has changed! Since I've been there last it has gone through several major fires and the lab is re-oriented towards projects that are mostly secret. We could only find the old boy's school/museum as a point of reference. The facility I worked at (LAMPF) is now doing neutron scattering. None of the lab can we get into.

But the drive up the mesa is pretty and White Rock, just down the side of the mesa a bit is still perched above the Rio Grande River. So we decided to have a look.

Fairview Cemetery

Out along Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe lies the Fairview Cemetery. There are two main features of this place that really reminds me of cemeteries in Australia. First, we are in the high desert of New Mexico making it a grassless and dusty place to walk about. Secondly, there are plenty of children and young people buried here.

Loretto Chapel

There are three important churches in central Santa Fe. Loretto Chapel is the second of these after the Cathedral. The third one, San Miguel Archángel dating from 1610, is billed as the oldest church in America although I'm sure little of the original structure remains (We'll see a tiny bit of this later). Today we visit the Loretto Chapel.

On the Streets of Santa Fe

After my visit to St. Francis, I wandered the streets a bit to see what I could see. In the downtown area there are lots of interesting doors and windows.

More of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

The wooden flooring and that of the altar piece really complement the design and colors of the cathedral.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

One of the main attractions in Santa Fe is this church. I was confused by the double name of "cathedral basilica". Perhaps the most cogent answer is on the St. Francis web site along with a concise history of the chuch.

El Santuario at Chimayo

Arriving in early spring, we are treated to the flowers of the early blooming  bushes. It adds some cheer to the sunny plaza and makes buying Chimayo chilé a very happy event.

Chimayo

Chimayo is a small settlement north of Santa Fe built around a church. This church is famous for the many "miracles" that have occured here. As a result, the central part of this area is filled with stores that sell food and souvenirs to the tourists/pilgrims.

The View from Sandia Peak

After our visit to Madrid, we decided "in for a penny, in for a pound" and we drove on south and turned to drive to the top of Sandia Peak. Above is the view looking east (away from Albuquerque) toward the distant desert.

Madrid, NM

One of our first outings upon arrival in Santa Fe, was to Madrid. This tiny little town is east of the Sandia mountains in the desert. It used to be s mining  town but is now taken over by artists, jewellers and purveyors of expensive decorative items.

Leaving the Canyon

Getting in and out of the canyon is an intentional effort. There are two routes, one from the south and one from the east...both are unpaved roads about 20 miles long. Really makes you wonder how this remote civilization maintained communications with the rest of the world.

Chaco Canyon, Just When You Thought We Were Done

Not all the constructions are in such good condition as Pueblo Bonito, for example. This one, dating from about 1075 has fewer huge walls that remain but it is clear that it still a large place.

Sited below this rock outcropping, it is located in a position with a view across the canyon.

Looking the other way, we see across the canyon and one of the other pueblos in the distance.

Small kivas, large kivas...kivas everywhere. You really got to visit this place.

 

Chaco Canyon, More Pueblo del Arroyo

The extensive and intricate construction here is really amazing. It is easy to see why this place is designated as a World Heritage Site.

Chaco Canyon, Pueblo del Arroyo

Amazingly, Pueblo Bonito is not the only settlement in this canyon. Here is some of what there is to see just a short distance away in Pueblo del Arroyo.

Chaco Canyon, Pueblo Bonito

Let's start with an overview to set the scale of the construction done here.

Chaco Canyon

Chaco Canyon is a magical place. It is filled with the ruins of one of the most amazing cultures to have existed in north america. These people blossomed in the 800's and continued for about 300 years.

The Bisti Badlands

There are places out here in New Mexico that seem to defy the incursions of humans. The Bisti Badlands is one of these places. It is largely barren,, quite dry, and filled with ravines and hills that have no value.

More of the Aztec Ruins National Monument

There are portions of the structure where the roof is intact (I'm sure if it is original ...doubtful... or restored...likely) and you get a sense of what living in this place might have been like. I'm sure the furniture was minimal and the view through these consecutive openings would have been mostly open as it is today.

Aztec Ruins National Monument

The name Aztec is misleading. The folks who found this place thought it was built  by the Central Americans. In fact, it predates them by several hundred years. This is the same culture that created the large pueblos in Chaco Canyon.

Above is a view of the inside of the oldest fully restored kiva in the US. It is the centerpiece of the community. There's more to learn from the brochure.

Durango

After our morning visit to see the arches and a quick stop to see Lowry Pueblo, we headed down the road to spend the night in Durango, CO. As you can see, this is a nice little town with lots of interesting architecture.

Farm Land Near the Canyons of the Ancients

Even though there were no crops planted yet, the fields near the ancient ruins are filled with life. Above, I was being watched by deer who heard us driving along the road.

Lowry Pueblo, Canyons of the Ancients

A few miles from the main road on the way to Durango, is a large area filled with the remains of native american dwellings. This area is called the Canyons of the Ancients. Since we only have a few hours in transit, we stopped to see Lowry Pueblo.

As you see above, the main kiva in this settlement is quite large.

Arches, A Parting Look

The way to see things in a different light is to come in the morning when the light is, uh...different. Above is a place near the entrance we did not stop earlier because it was swarming with people and it seems like morning light would be better. It is. This is called Park Avenue since it calls to mind the the rows of tall buildings along that street.

Arches, Afternoon and Evening

The Delicate Arch is high on a hill and, naturally, one can choose to climb up to it. Careful inspection will reveal various humans milling about at the top of the hill. But not me. I have no interest in climbing to see what is clearly visible from the bottom of the hill.

Arches, Desert and Mountain Views

Sometimes you just need to get some photos of what the desert area looks like. Of course, it helps to have these majestic rocks in the background.