Santa Fe, New Mexico is an amazing city for those who love day trips, thanks to the seemingly endless array of national parks, historic sites, and trail heads that are accessible in just an hour’s drive of downtown. One of my favorites is Pecos National Historical Park,a historic locale equal parts scenic and educational, thus allowing visitors to appreciate panoramic desert views while learning about the site’s powerful connection to ancestral Puebloan peoples.
Before I get too carried away with photographs of the park’s amazing natural beauty, I should probably provide a little much-needed history. If you’ve never heard of the park before, you’re not alone. I only learned about it a few days before I arrived in Santa Fe, and visited it on a whim one afternoon when Kevin and I found ourselves in need of an outdoor activity. I arrived at the park knowing next to nothing about its colorful past, but listening to a passionate ranger share with us the reason why Pecos National Historical Park received this designation undoubtedly enriched our visit:
The Pecos Pueblo tribe was formidable; at its zenith, the town boasted anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 people. These Pueblo people were masters of trade, and enjoyed healthy relationships with other Native American tribes all across the continent, thus helping catapult them to power and wealth. Water from the Pecos river and Glorieta Creek also contributed to the community’s success; after all, most of northern New Mexico is a dry desert largely inhospitable to permanent settlement at the time. Tribes heading from coast to coast or traveling north from present-day Latin America would have had to stop at Pecos for water, meaning the prized location itself contributed to the growth of the Pueblo people’s trading empire.
Spanish missionaries, who entered the village in the seventeenth century, changed life for the Pueblo people forever, namely through the proliferation of fatal diseases that wrecked havoc on the population of Pecos.
Two underground kivas, or ceremonial chambers, are open and accessible to visitors via a sturdy wooden ladder.
The Spanish arrived with the intent on converting Native Americans to Christianity, and when confronted with the sophisticated community at Pecos, they decided they too could build impressive structures to rival the work of the natives. Therefore, the Spanish constructed the largest European-built building (a Catholic church) on American soil north of Mexico City. This massive church, the second to be built at Pecos, was destroyed in the Pueblo revolt of 1680. Hundreds of Spanish missionaries and colonists were killed in the uprising, an altogether impressive tour de force.
The Pueblos living at Pecos were the only Native Americans to achieve the seemingly impossible: they actually managed to drive out their European invaders. Even if the eviction only lasted twelve years – the Spaniards did return for good – the rebellion sent a powerful message. When the Spaniards returned to Pecos, they constructed a third, more modest, Catholic church, the remnants of which can be toured today and are effectively the centerpiece for this national historic site.
While much of the pueblo now is in ruins, it’s not difficult to imagine the once-impressive structures that once graced the site. What remains of the third church is easily the focal point of the park, and, as of summer 2016, is undergoing rather extensive rehabilitation – even so, visitors can still stroll through and appreciate what remains.
I promised some scenic shots, didn’t I? Aside from the site’s rich historic significance, Pecos National Historical Park also is home to stunning, high desert natural beauty that this travel writer couldn’t stop photographing. The park is easily accessible, thanks to a 1.25 mile long “main loop” trail that is almost completely paved.
My cacti obsession can likely be attributed to the fact I was born and raised in tree-covered New England. I’ve only lived out west now for a few weeks, and my prior travel experience to the American Southwest is limited to a few days spent in the Phoenix area as a young kid. I’m not embarrassed to admit I got excited whenever I had the chance to snap a shot of a cactus.
For up-to-date information about the park, including fees and operating hours, please visit the official website of Pecos National Historical Park, found here.
