Two more sites to visit for Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument and both are a bit more remote. The next closest is a 30-minute drive south from Mountainair on rural State Road 55 (aka NM-55) to reach the Gran Quivira Unit.
Again, the visitor center is closed today but that’s expected since it’s Monday in the off-season and I’m basically the only person driving around out here today. May have seen one or two other cars on the road but they were local farmers/ranchers going between properties.
Once again I am going to include many of the informational signs along the self-guided route since I feel they explain better than I can, and they have some great artwork to aide with understanding.
Borrowing from the sign’s text, Gran Quivira was called Las Humanas by Spanish explorers, and was the largest of the Salinas pueblos. In total, at it’s peak, it was comprised of about 20 block houses with up to 2,000 residents. Origins of this site date back around 1,200 years which was well before explorers or missionaries arrived, and was an important hub where Plains people directly interacted and lived with the Pueblo peoples. This view from the entrance shows only a glimpse from afar of the size of what was excavated but I’d say it best compares to a moderate sports stadium.
Getting closer to the structures is relatively easy via the accessible paths with only minimal/moderate slope up the ramp. I went up the ramp first to make a counter-clockwise loop but it really doesn’t matter much which way you choose.
Here is, in my opinion, the best wide view of the site. The largest building to the right is the mission church which started to be built in 1630.
Much like the other site at Abó there are large kivas – circular openings to underground rooms used for worship and other activites – right alongside the mission. However in contrast to Abó, this sign at Gran Quivira says while kachina dances were tolerated at first, later on the church policy forced the non-Christian ceremonies to be hidden away in secret kivas that were found throughout the mission complex.
As you move along there will be different views of the internal wall structures which are only partially excavated. Even still, you can get a great sense of the layout and imagine how people would be moving through the area on a day-to-day basis of activities.
One sign explained how one of the Friars observed an “Indian sorcerer” who became upset with the Puebloans being so accepting of the Christian religion’s explanations. The “sorcerer” then left town because he didn’t want to be a fool like the others. I mean, certainly nothing bad ever happened from Spanish religious zealots, right? Missionaries providing the opium of the people and a Puebloan holy man calling it out as oppression (as evidence by forcing the old religion into the underground) and getting laughed out of town is a tale as old as time and just as sad today. I tend to side with the “sorcerer”.
This sign in particular may be one of my favorites at any park I’ve ever visited. It depicts with fantastic detail a scene re-creating what would be daily life of the Jumanos peoples at the central plaza of the village which was called Cueloze. Nearby is a large kiva which is also included in the scene, and described as a place where the entire village would gather for events. I greatly enjoy being alone at places just like this, it almost feels like you can see the past coming back to life if you just let your imagination take you there.
The next sign “Dryland Crops and Game” details how the society was sustained mainly on crops of drought-resistant corn, but also a multitude of other things like beans, squash, and pinon nuts. Additionally they found tens of thousands of bones from animals like jackrabbits, deer, and even bison. Salt from nearby lakes preserved the game meat. Later on after the settlers arrived this also included wheat, cattle, and goats.
Water is a major challenge in dry areas like this as there are no nearby streams or rivers. Instead, they dug out many small basins to catch water from the rains which held for a few weeks at a time and supplemented the wells and roof-fed cisterns.
And finally at the end of the loop is a sign detailing how early people built their houses partially underground with wooden roofs covered in layers of earth. These were replaced by Jacals which had wicker-woven walls covered in plaster around 900 years ago. Above-ground stone pueblos only appeared in the 1300s. The earliest settlers built around 1200 years ago high atop the Chupadera Mesa which you can see in the distance.
Hiking Data
Here’s the hiking track. Impossible to get lost since it is all paved or crushed stone and very well maintained. I went counter-clockwise but I don’t think it matters, you can go either direction. I did not hike inside the structure because I wasn’t sure it was allowed – now I know that it’s okay but of course if you do please don’t touch anything to preserve for future generations.
Total distance just a bit more than 1/2 mile but it’s very easy, especially as you will be stopping frequently to read the signs and see the structures. Listed at 3/4 mile but my path was shorter due to not knowing about that internal path, no big deal. Very remote but worth the visit.
