There is no other state with so many national parks dedicated to Native
Indian civilizations. From Bandelier in Los Alamos to the ancestral Pueblo
Indian ruins in Aztec to Chaco Culture National Historical Park , the whole
state has many places where you can learn about this important cultural
heritage. Plan to visit one of the 19 pueblos, the Navajo Nation, or one of
the Apache nations.
Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The Taos
people have been in the area for over 1000 years, although the village has
been moved several times. The current eye-catching adobe structures date
back to the early 1800s. Some of these buildings are four stories high and
ladders are used to reach the upper floors and the roofs. Also in the
mountains near Taos you can find skiing at several ski resorts.
Albuquerque and Santa Fe are the main urban areas in New Mexico. Both are
attractive towns with excellent tourist infrastructure. They are good
starting points for exploring the north central portion of the state, where
one can find many colonial villages, verdant forests, and high mountain
country.
Northwest New Mexico is often called "Indian Country" due to the large
populations of various Indian Nations in the area; Grants, Gallup, and
Farmington are good bases for exploring this diverse and interesting region.
Here you'll find the oldest continuously inhabited city in the US, the
venerable Pueblo of Acoma, and the world heritage site of Chaco Culture
National Historical Park. The tallest mountain in this region is sacred
Mount Taylor, part of the Cibola National Forest and one of the "four sacred
mountains" of Navajo legend. Zuni Pueblo is the largest of the New Mexico
pueblos and can be visited from either Grants or Gallup. With an enticing
mix of public lands, ancient and modern Native cultures, and four season
climate, this region offers much to the southwest traveler.
Southern New Mexico is dominated by Las Cruces, a fast growing city that has
warm winters favored by retirees and others fleeing the snow belt. The
rugged terrain of the Gila region in the southwest of the state is home to
Silver City and many small mountain towns.
There are many interesting places to visit in Southern New Mexico: Dripping
Spring Trail - an old West trail in the mountains with remains of a
turn-of-the century sanatorium; Agguire Spring Recreation Area - located on
the eastern side of the Organ Mountains, a short drive from Las Cruces, has
2 scenic trails along with picnic areas; City of Rocks - located near Silver
City, is has an amazing erect rocks in the middle of the dessert, with near
by natural hot springs. Village of Cloudcroft located north-east of Las
Cruces has beautiful mountain landscape with numerous trail a must visit for
a nature buff.
For hiking and other outdoor activities, El Malpais National Monument and
White Sands are spectacular national parks, where anyone with a love for the
outdoor can spend whole weeks. |
