From Chama
7. To Santa Fe from Chama via U.S. Highway 84 South (about a 2 1/2 hour drive)
Chama, a former logging and mining town, is nestled in the lush Chama River Valley and surrounded by two majestic mountain ranges. It's a small but popular town, especially with railroad buffs, since it contains the western terminus of the narrow-gauge Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Steam Railroad, which carries passengers on a 64-mile journey over the 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass to Antonito, Colorado. Chama's Main Street, lined with historic buildings, has changed little in appearance since the 1890s. Chama is also the gateway to nearby spectacular wilderness areas, including the Carson National Forest, the Brazos Peak and two of New Mexico's largest lakes, Heron and El Vado.
South of Chama, the expansive Chama River Valley region stretches out with green fields fed by snowmelt from the Rockies. The water flows through acequias, or irrigation canals, created by Ancestral Pueblo people centuries ago and later used by Hispanic farmers.
Nearly 60 miles south of Chama, dramatic red rock and gray hills begin to dominate the Chama River Valley. Art lovers have come to know this part of the valley as O'Keeffe Country. Not only did acclaimed American artist Georgia O'Keeffe find inspiration in the brilliant light and stark landscape of this valley, she made it her permanent home from 1949 until her death in 1986. Living in a small house she rented then bought on Ghost Ranch, a 21,000 acre dude ranch then owned by publisher Arthur Pack, she later bought and remodeled an adobe hacienda in the village of Abiquiu.
Ghost Ranch was initially part of a 1766 Spanish land grant called Piedra Lumbre, which is Spanish for Shining Rock. El Rancho de los Brujos, the local Spanish name for Ghost Ranch, arose from the numerous tales of ghosts and witches connected to the property. Ghost Ranch stepped into the international spotlight in 1947 when paleontologists searching the hills uncovered about a thousand skeletons of the dinosaur Coelophysis, a small, early carnivorous dinosaur. In 1955, the Pack family gave the ranch to the Presbyterian Church, which operates Ghost Ranch as an education and retreat center.
Abiquiu Lake, constructed in 1963 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is a 4,000-acre lake. This is a popular site for camping, swimming, boating and picnicking. Off to the southwest is a great panoramic view of one of the most recognized landmarks in this region, Cerro Pedernal. This flat-topped flint mountain was O'Keeffe's favorite mountain, and she depicted it in many of her paintings.
The village of Abiquiu, 13 miles south of Ghost Ranch, was established in 1745 with a Spanish land grant by genizaros, Hispanicized Indian settlers. Georgia O'Keeffe's house occupies one side of the central plaza, surrounded by a cluster of adobe houses and a mission church built during the 1930s. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum now owns the property and offers tours of O'Keeffe's home by reservation only
Situated in the Rio Grande Valley between Taos and Los Alamos and flanked by the Jemez Mountains and the Truchas Peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Española was founded as a railroad town in 1880 when construction began on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, known as the Chile Line. At that time, a descendant of early Spanish settlers named Josefita Lucero and her husband, Amado, set up a tent and began serving food to the railroad workers. The workers must have savored the meals, or perhaps they admired the woman who cooked them, because they started calling the makeshift restaurant "La Española" (The Spanish Lady), and thus was the town's name born.
But Española's roots stretch back in history to 1598, when Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Oñate established New Mexico's first community of Spanish settlers just a few miles north of town on San Juan Pueblo land. In the 1950s, when highly customized cars known as lowriders became popular in Española, residents began calling their town the "Lowrider Capital of the World" and the nickname stuck.
Over the years, Española has grown more diverse. Today it's a city with more than 10,000 residents that serves surrounding rural communities and mountain towns. Cowboys and farmers live here, as well as artists, employees of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a large community of Sikhs who come from around the world. Residents celebrate Espanola's heritage with an annual fall fiesta and rowdy lowrider cruises on Friday and Saturday nights.
Nambé Pueblo dates to the 1300s, when it flourished as the Pueblo people's spiritual and cultural center, making it a prime target for the Spanish conquerors. The pueblo survived and today has a population of about 2,000 people. Located at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the pueblo lies below the popular Nambe Falls Recreation Area, where visitors can enjoy a spectacular waterfall along with lake fishing and camping.
Pojoaque Pueblo nearly disappeared due to war and disease but in the 1930s, those who survived took steps to bring it back to life. In 1988, the pueblo opened the Poeh Center, devoted to preserving the traditional arts and culture of the Tewa ("taywah") people. Visitors can view Pueblo art and exhibits and traditional dances and shop at the largest Indian arts and crafts store in northern New Mexico. Today, with a population of more than 2,000, Pojoaque Pueblo operates the Cities of Gold Casino and is building the Buffalo Thunder Resort.
Tesuque Pueblo has occupied its site in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain foothills since 1200 A.D. and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of New Mexico's smallest and most traditional pueblos, Tesuque is celebrated for its pottery, painting and sculpture. Camel Rock, a sandstone formation carved by wind and rain into the shape of a camel, stands at the pueblo's entrance and is the namesake for the pueblo's casino.
At 7,000 feet, Santa Fe is the oldest and highest capital city in the country. Founded between 1609 and 1610 by the Spanish conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta, the city has been the capital of the Spanish Kingdom of New Mexico, serving as Spain's northernmost territory in the New World; the Mexican province of Nuevo Mejico; the American territory of New Mexico (which contained what is today Arizona and New Mexico); and the state of New Mexico, which officially achieved statehood in 1912.
During the 19th century, Santa Fe was the destination for merchants, military men, pioneers and other travelers along the Santa Fe Trail.
Today, Santa Fe is a flourishing multicultural city of about 70,000 people with a vibrant art and cultural scene, a world-class reputation for unique dining and shopping, and enduring connections to its fascinating past. It is the fourth largest city in the state, behind Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Rio Rancho. Nestled in the dramatic Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the city is famous for its stunning landscape, majestic sunsets and close proximity to excellent hiking, biking, skiing and other outdoor activities.
Chama, a former logging and mining town, is nestled in the lush Chama River Valley and surrounded by two majestic mountain ranges. It's a small but popular town, especially with railroad buffs, since it contains the western terminus of the narrow-gauge Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Steam Railroad, which carries passengers on a 64-mile journey over the 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass to Antonito, Colorado. Chama's Main Street, lined with historic buildings, has changed little in appearance since the 1890s. Chama is also the gateway to nearby spectacular wilderness areas, including the Carson National Forest, the Brazos Peak and two of New Mexico's largest lakes, Heron and El Vado.
South of Chama, the expansive Chama River Valley region stretches out with green fields fed by snowmelt from the Rockies. The water flows through acequias, or irrigation canals, created by Ancestral Pueblo people centuries ago and later used by Hispanic farmers.
Nearly 60 miles south of Chama, dramatic red rock and gray hills begin to dominate the Chama River Valley. Art lovers have come to know this part of the valley as O'Keeffe Country. Not only did acclaimed American artist Georgia O'Keeffe find inspiration in the brilliant light and stark landscape of this valley, she made it her permanent home from 1949 until her death in 1986. Living in a small house she rented then bought on Ghost Ranch, a 21,000 acre dude ranch then owned by publisher Arthur Pack, she later bought and remodeled an adobe hacienda in the village of Abiquiu.
Ghost Ranch was initially part of a 1766 Spanish land grant called Piedra Lumbre, which is Spanish for Shining Rock. El Rancho de los Brujos, the local Spanish name for Ghost Ranch, arose from the numerous tales of ghosts and witches connected to the property. Ghost Ranch stepped into the international spotlight in 1947 when paleontologists searching the hills uncovered about a thousand skeletons of the dinosaur Coelophysis, a small, early carnivorous dinosaur. In 1955, the Pack family gave the ranch to the Presbyterian Church, which operates Ghost Ranch as an education and retreat center.
Abiquiu Lake, constructed in 1963 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is a 4,000-acre lake. This is a popular site for camping, swimming, boating and picnicking. Off to the southwest is a great panoramic view of one of the most recognized landmarks in this region, Cerro Pedernal. This flat-topped flint mountain was O'Keeffe's favorite mountain, and she depicted it in many of her paintings.
The village of Abiquiu, 13 miles south of Ghost Ranch, was established in 1745 with a Spanish land grant by genizaros, Hispanicized Indian settlers. Georgia O'Keeffe's house occupies one side of the central plaza, surrounded by a cluster of adobe houses and a mission church built during the 1930s. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum now owns the property and offers tours of O'Keeffe's home by reservation only
Situated in the Rio Grande Valley between Taos and Los Alamos and flanked by the Jemez Mountains and the Truchas Peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Española was founded as a railroad town in 1880 when construction began on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, known as the Chile Line. At that time, a descendant of early Spanish settlers named Josefita Lucero and her husband, Amado, set up a tent and began serving food to the railroad workers. The workers must have savored the meals, or perhaps they admired the woman who cooked them, because they started calling the makeshift restaurant "La Española" (The Spanish Lady), and thus was the town's name born.
But Española's roots stretch back in history to 1598, when Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Oñate established New Mexico's first community of Spanish settlers just a few miles north of town on San Juan Pueblo land. In the 1950s, when highly customized cars known as lowriders became popular in Española, residents began calling their town the "Lowrider Capital of the World" and the nickname stuck.
Over the years, Española has grown more diverse. Today it's a city with more than 10,000 residents that serves surrounding rural communities and mountain towns. Cowboys and farmers live here, as well as artists, employees of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a large community of Sikhs who come from around the world. Residents celebrate Espanola's heritage with an annual fall fiesta and rowdy lowrider cruises on Friday and Saturday nights.
Nambé Pueblo dates to the 1300s, when it flourished as the Pueblo people's spiritual and cultural center, making it a prime target for the Spanish conquerors. The pueblo survived and today has a population of about 2,000 people. Located at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the pueblo lies below the popular Nambe Falls Recreation Area, where visitors can enjoy a spectacular waterfall along with lake fishing and camping.
Pojoaque Pueblo nearly disappeared due to war and disease but in the 1930s, those who survived took steps to bring it back to life. In 1988, the pueblo opened the Poeh Center, devoted to preserving the traditional arts and culture of the Tewa ("taywah") people. Visitors can view Pueblo art and exhibits and traditional dances and shop at the largest Indian arts and crafts store in northern New Mexico. Today, with a population of more than 2,000, Pojoaque Pueblo operates the Cities of Gold Casino and is building the Buffalo Thunder Resort.
Tesuque Pueblo has occupied its site in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain foothills since 1200 A.D. and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of New Mexico's smallest and most traditional pueblos, Tesuque is celebrated for its pottery, painting and sculpture. Camel Rock, a sandstone formation carved by wind and rain into the shape of a camel, stands at the pueblo's entrance and is the namesake for the pueblo's casino.
At 7,000 feet, Santa Fe is the oldest and highest capital city in the country. Founded between 1609 and 1610 by the Spanish conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta, the city has been the capital of the Spanish Kingdom of New Mexico, serving as Spain's northernmost territory in the New World; the Mexican province of Nuevo Mejico; the American territory of New Mexico (which contained what is today Arizona and New Mexico); and the state of New Mexico, which officially achieved statehood in 1912.
During the 19th century, Santa Fe was the destination for merchants, military men, pioneers and other travelers along the Santa Fe Trail.
Today, Santa Fe is a flourishing multicultural city of about 70,000 people with a vibrant art and cultural scene, a world-class reputation for unique dining and shopping, and enduring connections to its fascinating past. It is the fourth largest city in the state, behind Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Rio Rancho. Nestled in the dramatic Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the city is famous for its stunning landscape, majestic sunsets and close proximity to excellent hiking, biking, skiing and other outdoor activities.