Northwestern New Mexico
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Northwestern New Mexico - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Sort by:
2 Recommendations
{{numTotalPoiResults}} {{ (numTotalPoiResults===1)?'Recommendation':'Recommendations' }}
0 Recommendations
Loading...
-
1. Acoma Pueblo
Atop a 367-foot mesa that rises abruptly from the valley floor, Acoma Pueblo's terraced, multistory, multiunit Sky City is like no other pueblo structure. It's one of the oldest continually inhabited spots in North America, with portions believed to be more than 1,500 years old. Captain Hernando de Alvarado, a member of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's expedition of 1540, was the first European to see Acoma. He reported that he had "found a rock with a village on top, the strongest position ever seen in the world." The Spanish eventually conquered the Acoma people and brutally compelled them to build San Estéban del Rey, the immense adobe church that stands to this day. Native American laborers cut the massive vigas for the church's ceiling 30 mi away on Mt. Taylor and physically carried them back to the mesa. About a dozen families live at the mesa-top pueblo full time, with most other Acomas living on Native American land nearby and returning only in summer and for celebrations, such as the feast day of St. Stephen (September 2), and Christmas mass (both are open to the public). Acoma's artisans are known for their thin-walled pottery, hand-painted with intricate black-and-white or polychrome geometrical patterns. Once you park at the mesa base, plan to spend time in the superb Haak'u Museum at the Sky City Cultural Center. Changing exhibits explore traditional and contemporary arts, and are perfectly set in this modernist interpretation of traditional pueblo forms, with fine sandstone detailing and glass panels prepared to evoke historic mica windows. Visitation on the mesa top is by an hour-long guided tour; you're whisked by van up a steep road from behind the center and then led about the mesa community on foot (allow extra time if you choose to walk back down instead, via the ancient staircase carved into the side of the mesa). An Acoma guide will point out kivas, hornos, and unforgettable views toward their sacred sites of Enchanted Mesa and Mt. Taylor, and describe pueblo history in-depth, as well as direct you to artisan displays throughout the village. (Note: the terrain can be uneven; heeled shoes or flip-flops are not advised.) There's no electricity or running water in the village, but you can see cars parked outside many homes—one wonders what it must have been like to visit Acoma before the road was constructed in 1969. Open hours vary slightly, depending on the weather. Videotaping, sketching, and painting are prohibited, and a permit is required for still photography. Note that the pueblo prohibits photography of the church interior and exterior as well as the adjoining cemetery. As at all indigenous locales, ask permission before photographing residents or their artwork. Regroup back at Haak'u and browse the gallery gift shop and bookstore or enjoy blue-corn pancakes or a grilled chicken wrap with green-chile guacamole at the cozy Y'aak'a (Corn) Café. There is shuttle service available if you are staying at the Sky City Hotel/Casino (888/759–2489). Open hours are subject to tribal activities or weather conditions; it is best to check their online calendar or call ahead.
Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, 87034, USA505-552–6604Sight Details
Rate Includes: Pueblo tour $12, Haak\'u Museum $4, Apr.–Oct., museum daily 9–6, Pueblo tours daily 9–5 (last full tour leaves at 4); Nov.–Mar., museum daily 9–5, tours daily 8–4. The café closes 1 hr before the museum. -
2. El Malpais National Monument and Conservation Area
Traveling west on Interstate 40, along the south side of the freeway in the last 10 miles or so before you hit Grants, you'll catch your first glimpse of the stark, volcanic-rock-strewn El Malpais National Monument and Conservation Area. Take Exit 89, on the east edge of the flow, and travel south on NM 117 about 18 miles to La Ventana, New Mexico's largest natural arch. Before you get to that sandstone wonder, you might pull off at the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) El Malpais Ranger Station (it's about 9 miles from the exit) for maps and information about the conservation area's miles of hiking trails; the nearby Sandstone Bluffs overlook offers a grand view across El Malpais ("the Badlands"). Alternatively, proceed into Grants, stopping at the comprehensive Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center (Exit 85 505/876–2783) for maps and info, then continue west on Interstate 40 to Exit 81, then southwest on NM 53 to the monument area, which is administered by the National Park Service (NPS) and has an information center about 23 miles to the south. El Malpais is not much of an attraction for the just-passing-through visitor, but it's well worth spending a full day or two exploring the park in depth. Popular for hiking as well as caving in the miles of lava tubes—but it's best to venture forth with extremely sturdy soles and lots of water—its some 40 volcanoes dot 114,000 acres. (A quick snapshot of the volcanic landscape may be gained from the Ice Cave and Bandera Crater.) BLM's Joe Skeen Campground has 10 basic sites and a vault toilet; backcountry camping permits are available at the NPS visitor center, though camping is very primitive—no facilities exist.
-
Recommended Fodor’s Video
-
{{ (numCurrentPage-1)*numPageLimit+index+1 }}.
{{ item.neighborhood }} | {{ item.first_keyword }}{{ item.review }}
{{ item.address }}{{ item.phone[0] }}{{ item.details.title }} Details
{{ item.details.content.toString() }}View Tours and Activities -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
No sights Results
Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:
There are no results for {{ strDestName }} Sights in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions:
