Northern Rio Grande
Experience an enigmatic land with turquoise skies, terra-cotta soils and a tapestry of cultures.
There’s no place in the United States quite like northern New Mexico, especially the part of the state that is now designated as the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area. Much of the area’s charm is due to the unique mix of cultures already living in the area with the people who settled here over hundreds of years.
Distinctively southwestern, the heritage area provides one-of-a-kind experiences and centuries of history, along with the stunning natural beauty of a high desert and mountain environment. Visiting the Northern Rio Grande is like traveling overseas without having to endure a cramped economy airline seat or breaking out your passport. And, in some cases, you may even feel transported back in time a few hundred years.
Stretching from Albuquerque to the Colorado border, the heritage area includes Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Taos counties, encompassing a total of 10,000 square miles. Areas include those settled by the Jicarilla Apache, 8 Tewa, and Tiwa native Pueblos, and by the descendants of Spanish colonists who arrived as early as 1598. To put it in perspective, that was a whole generation before the Pilgrims on the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock.
Today, the Northern Rio Grande is one of the newest additions to the National Park Service’s heritage inventory, and it is truly a mosaic of the Americas. Take a few days to soak up the tapestry of its multicultural beginnings while enjoying the natural and varied scenery that includes deep gorges with exposed basalt, flat sandstone mesas, and rugged mountains with dramatic peaks and valleys. It’s an unforgettable journey.
THE HIGH ROAD
Start your exploration of the heritage area at the Santa Fe Plaza National Historic Landmark in downtown Santa Fe. The plaza, or city square, is symbolically the political and cultural center of Northern Rio Grande. Some say it is the heart of Santa Fe.
Known for its year-round open-air market, the plaza also hosts a variety of special Indian and Spanish art markets, where traditional and contemporary works are for sale. Choose from a variety of jewelry, sculptures, pottery, textiles and handicrafts reflecting a mix of cultures. Also on the plaza is the Palace of the Governors, an adobe structure that is one of the oldest public buildings in the United States. Prior to becoming a state museum in 1909, it served as the seat of government under Spanish, Pueblo Indian, Mexican and U.S. territorial rule.
Climb a ladder to the top of the village of Tsankawi in Bandelier National Monument (left); the Rio Grande flows near Pilar (right).
Then head north from Santa Fe along the storied High Road to Taos. This 75-mile trek winds through gorgeous scenery (think of pinon and ponderosa pine woodlands offset by red rocks) in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and past revered places that embody the mix of Spanish and Pueblo culture.
The first stop on this journey is Pojoaque, where you’ll find the Poeh Cultural Center and Museum. It’s a repository with a special focus on the Tewaspeaking pueblos of Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, San Juan, Santa Clara, Tesuque and Nambe.
The word poeh means “pathway” in the Tewa language, and the center lives up to its name as it connects the past with the present. The permanent collection tells the story of the Pueblo people and showcases artistic treasures, including pottery returned by the Smithsonian Institution.
Farther along the road, churches founded in Spanish colonial times embrace all visitors. The faithful come to worship, while others bask in the serene beauty of the buildings and their natural setting. El Santuario de Chimayo, an adobe chapel that is a Good Friday destination for Holy Week pilgrims, is one such place. Built in 1813, the church also has tiny samples of healing earth, known as tierra bendita for believers.
Be sure to save plenty of time for Taos Pueblo, which is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the United States. This Native American community was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. About 150 families live as their ancestors did in the multistoried adobe structure. The local church, San Geronimo de Taos, is a lovely example of New Mexican architecture.
AN ETHEREAL LANDSCAPE
The red rocks and mountain terrain have inspired many who visit this area, including the painter Georgia O’Keeffe. Her home at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu is tucked into the base of a mountain called Mesa Montosa. Dinosaur fossils embedded in colorful cliffs and sediment are found throughout the land. O’Keeffe painted extensively here, and her landscape paintings have gone on to become trademarks of sorts for northern New Mexico.
South of Abiquiu is Bandelier National Monument, an area of rugged canyons and mesas consisting of hundreds of Puebloan ruins and cave rooms carved into the soft tuff rock. Of special note are the natural