OK. More accurately, a road TO the ruins: Abo Ruins, part of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.
With the weather still nice (subject to change with rain forecast for today) I loaded up yesterday for the mountains southeast of Albuquerque. East on I-40 to Tijeras, south on Hwy 337 through Chililli, Tajique, Manzano, then Hwy 55 to Mountainair. (Don't you love these names? After 35 years living in New Mexico, I am starting to feel somewhat confident pronouncing them.) The route continued back home to Albuquerque on Hwy 47 through Belen and Los Lunas.
A few miles southwest of Mountainair off of Hwy 47 is one unit (of three) of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, the Abo Ruins. The Spaniards rode up the El Camino Real in the early 1600's to colonize what is now southwestern USA. The church friars stayed around to convert the Pueblo tribes to Christianity, building many churches along the way, including this one at Abo. However, the natives revolted in 1680, leaving the churches to go to ruin since then. Artist renditions on display at the monument office show a grand, beautiful edifice was built here over a period of many years, utilizing local rock and mud mortar. It is still very impressive to this day, situated on the prairie lands at the foot of the Sandia Mountains. A great day trip!
Total trip: 183 miles; 2.667 gal., 68.6 mpg.
More info available at: http://www.nps.gov/sapu/historyculture/places.htm
With the weather still nice (subject to change with rain forecast for today) I loaded up yesterday for the mountains southeast of Albuquerque. East on I-40 to Tijeras, south on Hwy 337 through Chililli, Tajique, Manzano, then Hwy 55 to Mountainair. (Don't you love these names? After 35 years living in New Mexico, I am starting to feel somewhat confident pronouncing them.) The route continued back home to Albuquerque on Hwy 47 through Belen and Los Lunas.
A few miles southwest of Mountainair off of Hwy 47 is one unit (of three) of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, the Abo Ruins. The Spaniards rode up the El Camino Real in the early 1600's to colonize what is now southwestern USA. The church friars stayed around to convert the Pueblo tribes to Christianity, building many churches along the way, including this one at Abo. However, the natives revolted in 1680, leaving the churches to go to ruin since then. Artist renditions on display at the monument office show a grand, beautiful edifice was built here over a period of many years, utilizing local rock and mud mortar. It is still very impressive to this day, situated on the prairie lands at the foot of the Sandia Mountains. A great day trip!
Total trip: 183 miles; 2.667 gal., 68.6 mpg.
More info available at: http://www.nps.gov/sapu/historyculture/places.htm
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