Pecos National Historical Park

The Pecos Valley has long been a critical location both geographically and politically. The adjacent Glorieta Pass is the doorway between the Great Plains and the southwestern desert. The people of the pueblos had long interactions with the tribes of the plains, particularly nomadic Apaches. Pecos Valley later became the intersection point for the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri to California and the El Camino Mission Trail from El Paso to Santa Fe.

The people of Pecos Pueblo lived here from about 1100, survived many encounters with the Spanish, and eventually abandoned the site in 1838 due to marauding Comanches. Nearby, one of the key Civil War battles fought in the West was the Battle of Glorieta Pass of 1862.

Today, the key attraction of this site is the remains of the Spanish mission church built in 1717 on the site of an older and larger churchthat was destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Some very large walls of the church are intact, and their dramatic red color makes a beautiful backdrop for the puebloan ruins around it. The loop trail to explore the pueblo site is only a bit over a mile long, and it has an informative guide that is available to borrow at the visitor center.