Ruins

Libby and I participate in a Forest Service program as "site guardians" for a known archaeological site, a rather large pueblo of perhaps 200-some dwellings. From any distance, despite its size, it is almost invisible-- which in these days of thoughtless looting and vandalism, is probably A Good Thing.

Peculiar has some things to say (as well as more photos):

"This ruin doesn’t look like much. It’s never been thoroughly excavated, only a few test spots have been dug... But this was a big one, two stories and something like 250 rooms, with numerous kivas. It’s further south than you might expect, a little outside the area most people think of when contemplating Pueblo archeology. It’s also thought that it was inhabited until a while after the Spanish entrada.

"Over-publicizing locations is often a potential moral dilemma in landscape photography, and much more so when archeology is involved. I know of this site only due to local contacts, including the designated caretakers. But though it’s almost completely unknown, it’s also distressingly accessible. I’ve therefore chosen to pass on posting the more dramatic angles on the site, because they contain features that would allow someone sufficiently familiar with New Mexico geography (like a pot hunter) to get a pretty good idea of the location."

Same here. But there is still plenty to see.

Libby and Taik search a kangaroo rat midden. They can be destructive but make great places to see pot chips, arrowheads, and bones, as they turn over amazing amounts of soil.



Notice how the ranger has strategically placed dead cholla so nobody will drive over the ruins.It will surprise no one that we have to replace them periodically...

We also report graffiti and vandalism-- though a modern misspelled religious petroglyph is going to take some work to remove.