Salines Pueblo Missions National Monument
Three sites of ruined Spanish mission churches from the 17th century adjacent to ruins of Native American pueblos near Mountaineer in central New Mexico. Walk amongst the ruins to get a taste of what life may have been like during these contentious times.
Spanish Christian missions set out to convert the Native Americans of the Southwest one pueblo at a time. Massive stone churches were built with primitive technologies adjacent to native villages in an attempt to Hispanicize locals.
It requires a bit of driving to get between the three separate sites, since they are separated by some distance. Quarai, the northernmost of the missions within the monument contains the most striking church ruins of the three. Towering walls around a cross shaped floor plan set the stage for a trip back in time to when sermons were held in these impressive buildings. It’s sometimes difficult to independently appreciate how impressive these structures are while simultaneously rebuking the malicious practices of these religious conquistadors. This site is essentially just the mission ruins, as the nearby pueblo remains mostly un-excavated.
Gran Quivira is named so because of the sizable quiva (circular underground worship hall) on the eastern side of the pueblo ruins. The site also contains five smaller quivas, and possibly more that are un-excavated. The pueblo here was quite large, but the ruins are only around one foot tall, so much is left the the imagination. The mission lies more intact that the pueblo, and can be walked through. An easy-to-walk paved path takes you to the mission and runs along one side of the pueblo. The pueblo is a surprisingly large complex of rooms, but keep in mind while you are there that you are only seeing about half of the original pueblo, since a good portion of the it is unrecognizable from ground level.
Abo, the eastern mission, gives you the best sense of just how involved the missions were. They were more like a commune than just a church in the desert. Areas for preparing meals for those who staffed the missions, stables for their livestock, servant quarters, and of course the church are plainly visible and help paint the picture of life in a Spanish mission. To the south of the mission you can make out tall walls and a tower-like structure that may have been used for defense.
Pets are allowed on the trails at all three sites, but must be kept on short leashes. Rattlesnakes are common in the area, so be vigilant of your pets wandering. The paved paths at Abo and Quarai are brown, and help with the heat on dogs’ paws, but temperatures can exceed 100 degrees in the summer, so always check path temperatures with your hands before subjecting your pet to a torturous walk.
