New Mexico Places

Pecos National Historical Park.  This park preserves the ruins of the Pecos Pueblo, which was occupied as early as 9,000 BCE.  The site was abandoned in 1838, with the residents moving to Jemez Pueblo.  The most striking feature is the Spanish Mission ruin, with some fascinating passageways.  There are several subterranean kivas, including one that can be accessed by a short ladder.  A civil war battle was fought near the pueblo site, the location of which you can visit on a fascinating National Park Service tour.  My best photos have come from the mission and kivas, though I suspect there is much more to this site than I have seen.  ADVICE:  Due to opening hours, it is difficult to photograph this site at sunrise and sunset.  Winter months are likely better, since you can at least get a lower angle in the sunshine.  I suggest including a drive north through Pecos Canyon for beautiful mountain pics.  

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.  This national monument actually encompasses three sites, separated by up to 40 minutes drive time.  The three are Abó, Quarai and Gran Quivira.  All three are remains of Spanish missions at once-thriving Pueblo communities.  Abó and Quarai are the most visually striking, with large mission structures still standing.  Due to opening hours, it is difficult to photograph this site at sunrise and sunset.  Winter months are likely better, since you can at least get a lower angle in the sunshine.  Also watch for special events that allow for earlier or later access, such as the sometimes-annual Luminaria de Abó in December.  ADVICE: Take your time walking around each site, looking for your best pictures before settling on the first interesting shot you see.  These are complex sites with many fascinating pictures.  As with most ruins, your imagination is your best tool in creating powerful compositions.

Coronado Historic Site.  Some historic ancestral Pueblan sites are grand and majestic (especially Chaco Canyon) and some are small and understated.  Coronado is the latter.  It is a small site, originally constructed around 1300 CE.  Francisco Vásquez de Coronado visited near this site in 1540.  The site is not particularly photogenic, though you can get some nice “small scene” pics, rather than spectacular vistas.  It’s close to Albuquerque, so it’s a convenient location to visit during Balloon Fiesta.  ADVICE:  Think smallscapes.  Also, walk the trail along the river to a lovely cottonwood grove.  If you go down the to grove, though, be sure the ground is dry.  It turns into a vast clay-pit when wet or damp.

Petroglyph National Monument.  This is a quite stunning historic site.  It is basically a series of volcanic ridges that became the canvas for Native Americans and Spanish settlers between 400 and 700 years ago.  There are many fascinating petroglyphs scrawled into the rocks, and some are quite close to the trail.  This is not a great traditional landscape photography site, but it’s a wonderful place to photograph historic art and communication.  ADVICE: If you’re here for the Balloon Fiesta, this is a must-see destination between morning and evening balloon activities.  Dogs are welcome on some trails.

Fort Union National Monument.  Fort Union was one of the most important frontier forts in the southwest.  For some, it was a bastion of supply and defense.  For others, it was a source of persecution and conquest.  Like most historic sites, it is morally complex.  Fort Union was active between 1851 and 1891 along the Santa Fe Trail on the grasslands of northeastern New Mexico.  Today, a vast array of walls are preserved.  The site covers a large area, and with some imagination, you can get some great landscape and smallscape photos.  As usual in places like this, sunrise and sunset are best, but the park is generally open only 8 am to 4 pm.  So winter is your better option, since the sun rises later and sets earlier.  ADVICE:  This is a fascinating historical site, but it is far off the beaten path.  Take your time while visiting, and add a visit to see the bison at nearby Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge.  Fort Union is dog friendly, so bring your buddy.  Access is along a paved road, and the trails are gravel.

Lincoln, NM.  If you like your old west bloody and wild, Lincoln is your place.  This is the land of Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County range wars.  Billy the Kid came to infamy here in the 1870s.  The town is a fun visit, and you can photograph many of the old buildings (including the jail) that have been preserved from the era.  ADVICE: This is not a landscape photography destination.  But you can fold in a trip to Valley of Fires for some volcanic pics, and you can visit Fort Stanton for even more history.  White Sands National Park is also close by.

Fort Stanton Historic Site.  This historic site is a true hidden gem.  In 1855 it was built to house several infantry regiments on the frontier.  In 1899 it was converted to a tuberculosis sanitorium.  Many of the original buildings have been preserved, and the interpretation is excellent and relatable.  It is a great place to photograph later-era frontier fort buildings.  ADVICE:  Tie in a visit to Lincoln for a bit more history.

Fort Craig Historic Site, BLM.  This is a not-so-much site.  It has good history, not-so-much great.  It has a few ruins, no-so-much preserved.  The landscape is decently interesting, not-so-much spectacular.  I have only visited once, so maybe I am missing something.  But unless you have a special interest in this fort, you can probably give it a miss.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park.  Chaco is probably the most important site to visit in New Mexico.  It is also one of the most photogenic sites.  Chaco was the center of ancestral Pueblan culture (previously called Anasazi) between 850 and 1250 AD.  It is a very large site.  It’s purposes are still not completely understood or agreed upon.  It is located three hours north of Albuquerque, nearby to some stunning badlands.  The most visited area, and the most impressive structure, is Pueblo Bonito.  Unlike Mesa Verde, where access is highly restricted, you can wander among these ruins at your leisure.  Pueblo Bonito is a large multi-story complex with more than 800 ruins and multiple kivas.  The most iconic photos of Peublo Bonito are the doorways to doorways (see above).  The most stunning landscape shots are taken from the Pueblo Alto Trail along the canyon rim above Pueblo Bonito.  The route to this trail follows a cleft in the cliff originally used by the ancestral Pueblans.  ADVICE: The road to Chaco from the highway is not paved, and it is rough (ruts, potholes and washboards).  Two-wheel drive cars can make it, but I would avoid super-low-clearance vehicles.  The road to Chaco is also scenic, with windmills and spectacular skies, especially in late summer.  So take your time on that rough road, looking for good landscape photos enroute.  Be sure to the visitor center, which has great interpretation.  Be aware that there is no tree cover at Chaco, and in the summer it can be quite hot.  So wear sunscreen, wear the right clothing, and take lots of water.  The nearest hotels and restaurants are in Bloomfield.  There is a gas station near the turnoff for Chaco, but expect higher prices.  There is a campground in Chaco, and this would be a good option in fall or spring, but might be a bit hot in the summer.

Chaco Canyon Outliers.  The Chaco Canyon influence spread far across the southwest.  I have been to several of these great sites, and most were photogenic as well as fascinating and important.

Kin Ya'a.  Situated near Crownpoint, Kin Ya'a (also referred to as Tall House) was active from 1080 to 1106 AD.  It is a beautiful site, which can be accessed either by a rough road or a long (but easy) walk.  It is largely unexcavated, and there are pottery shards on the ground.  It is illegal to remove any shards or other cultural artifacts, so enjoy and appreciate them in situ.

Casamero Pueblo.  Slightly northeast of Thoreau is Casamero Pueblo, which was active 1000 to 1125 AD.  This site is very easy to access, sitting alongside a paved road just north of I-40.  The ruins themselves are humble, barely more than a few layers of stone walls.  But it is easy to see the outline of the habitations.  This site is, however, striking for it's red sandstone cliffs on the nearby Tecolate Mesa.  Look for the big "owl eye" caves, which would be photogenic in the right light (though I have not been there at sunrise to confirm).

I will add other outliers when I visit them.

Bandelier National Monument.  Bandelier, located near Los Alamos, preserves the homes of Ancestral Pueblans between 1150 and 1600 CE.  Where the older Chaco Canyon is largely horizontal, spread out over the canyon floor, Bandelier is more vertical with cliff ruins and tall ladders.  There are several units of Bandelier, each with their own trails.  ADVICE: The Main Loop Trail is the one with the ladders.  If heights make you nervous, definitely skip this trail.  You would hate to get stuck halfway up a long ladder, with people waiting behind you.  You may want to visit Bandelier in fall or spring, since summer gets busy.