Entering Pecos Pueblo. At one point, Pecos was the home to 2,000 people. Its hegemony over trade peaked from the mid-15th century through the mid-16th century. It served as a trading post for Pueblo, Apaches, and eventually Spaniards.
Conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (1510 - 1554) and the Spaniards first came to Pecos in 1540 searching for gold. Spanish missionaries returned in 1598 and established the first mission, which lay under the ruins the of second mission seen here.
The city wall.
South Pueblo, the site of many homes and storage rooms.
The ventilation shaft inside the kiva.
Outside the kiva.
Teddy-bear cactus.
Large trash mound discovered by archeologist A.V. Kidder in 1924.
Snake warning.
Looking at the Pecos.
Central part of Pecos Pueblo.
This is where the Pecos planted corn, beans, and squash at an altitude of 6,900 ft. Not easy to do...
The second Pecos church.
Portería, the main business office of the mission. A portero would usually be a job rewarded to newly initiated Christian Indians.
The last church, completed in 1717. Much of the original adobe (mud covering) remains.
Heart of the convento, with the kitchen and dining room.
The small ring of stones marks where builders made posts to support a ramada (brush shelter), something similar to a tipi.
The torreón (watch tower) that protected against Comanche and other raiders.
Turkey coop with original cobblestone.
Remnants of the Santa Fe Trail, an important Old West trail that passes through Pecos.
Site of the Battle of Glorieta Pass (March 26 - 28, 1862) near Pigeon's Ranch between Texas and Colorado Volunteers in the Civil War. Scholars have listed this battle as being just as important as the Battle of Gettysburg!
Heading up Artillery Hill, where Confederate Lt. Col. William Scurry troops met Union Col. John P. Slough's counterparts. Union Lt. Ira Claflin commenced cannon fire from this spot.
Ditch used by Confederate Maj. John Shropshire's men.
Center of the battlefield.
Union forces stopped Confederate advances here.
Spot where Maj. Shropshire took a fatal bullet between the eyes.
Sgt. Alfred B. Peticolas got seperated from his unit of Texans and stumbled into Union territory wearing a captured Federal overcoat. Union Lt. Col. Samuel Tappan mistook Peticolas as a friendly soldier and allowed him to pass back into Confederate territory safely.
Tappan and his troops abandoned Artillery Hill here.
Confederates chased from this direction.
While the Confederates technically won the battle, the Union forces had the final say. Union Maj. John Chivington and his men accidentally stumbled upon Confederate supplies near Johnson's Ranch and destroyed the stockpiles. Despite winning the battle, Confederate troops had to flee back to Texas due to a shortage of supplies. This is the view towards the base of Glorieta Mesa, the site of this incident.
Near the location of the Union field hospital.
Near the final line of the battle.
Near the mass grave of 31 Confederate soldiers.
Sunset in the Santa Fe National Forest (9,700 ft.)
The stream below our campsite in the morning.
Our campsite post-cleanup.
Black Canyon Trail.
Somehow they closed the woods?
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (1869).
Palace of the Governors, the colonial seat of the government of New Mexico. Built in 1610, it is the oldest continuously occupied building in the country.
El centro.
Inside St. Francis.
Views of el centro from Marble Brewing.
San Miguel Mission. Built from 1610 to 1626, it is the oldest church in the country.
Inside San Miguel. This was possibly my favorite place in Santa Fe.
De Vargas Street House, right next to San Miguel. Built around 1646, it is one of the oldest buildings in the country, and possibly the oldest house in the United States.
Miraculous Stair at Loretto Chapel. In 1877, after the Sisters of St. Loretto prayed for someone to design a staircase to the choir loft, a mysterious carpenter showed up and built this helix staircase that makes two complete revolutions. He did so with no nails or central support.
Loretto chapel.
