Length of stay: 1 day
Visited: April 2024
Pecos National Historical Park is located southeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Situated in the mountain valley, it was once the thriving village of the Pecos people. It was also the site of the Battle of Glorieta Pass during the Civil War. Today the park contains a few trails to learn more about the history of the area.
We woke up to another beautiful day of blue skies and sunshine. We planned to spend the morning in Pecos, which is about a 30 minute drive from Santa Fe. After eating breakfast, we headed out when the baby was getting ready for her first nap.
We started at the visitor centre where the Ancestral Sites Trail (2km loop, rated easy) is located. We picked up a trail guide and off we went to explore the ruins. The trail is wide and relatively flat and weaves through the north and south pueblos and a Spanish mission church. It contains sixteen numbered posts that correspond to information provided in the trail guide that explains more about the history of the Pecos people.
The name Pecos means “place above the water”. The village was built in the mountain valley on a high ridge between the Glorieta Mesa and Sangre de Cristo Mountains, providing a clear view of the surrounding area. It was also situated by multiple water sources. During its heyday about 2,000 people lived here and there were over 600 rooms within the village. They were able to sustain themselves through farming, hunting and trading.
The trail passes by several points of interest among ruins. This includes the remnants from a stone wall that surrounded the village.
There are a few reconstructed kivas, a circular space in the ground that was used for performing rituals. Pecos Pueblo had more than 20 of them. They believed that the kivas connected the world above to the spirits of the underworld and that praying and bringing offerings to the spirits would keep their crops healthy.
The main highlight in terms of the ruins is the Spanish mission church. In 1540 a Spanish expedition visited Pecos Pueblo. The Spanish later returned to settle, bringing Franciscan priests who built mission churches in an effort to convert the Pecos into Catholic subjects of the Spanish empire. The Pecos people revolted against the Spanish and destroyed one of the missions built south of Pecos Pueblo. A temporary church was then constructed until a larger one could be completed using the remains of the one destroyed during the revolt. The remains of this last mission are the only ones visible from the trail.
The Pecos people eventually left their pueblo as farming became increasingly difficult. By the 1800s, new Spanish settlements in the valley had taken over what remained of the fertile fields. In 1838 the final Pecos Pueblo families left their homes for another pueblo.
There are two other trails in the park, but we had other plans for the day.
L
Thank you for an interesting and enjoyable post, Linda. I find the pre-colonial societies fascinating. Great illustrative photos. Cheers.
Thanks for your kind words. It was super interesting to learn more about how they built their community and adapted to the environment. It was neat to try to imagine what this place might have looked like during its heyday as we walked through the ruins.
That’s what I like when going to a new place. I want to know about the history of the place. You gave a good share narrative of the history of the place. Thank you.
Thanks for your lovely comment. It’s always nice to mix a bit of education in with our exercise. It was neat to learn more about the history of the Pecos Pueblo as we walked among the ruins.
You found so many interesting monuments and parks to visit on your trip to the southwestern US. One could spend many weeks there and not come close to seeing it all. Amazing photos; thanks for sharing!
Oh absolutely! All the more reason to come back someday to explore more of the area. The history in the Four Corners region is fascinating. Plus the desert landscape looks so beautiful.
I always enjoy seeing ruins and how people lived back in the day. Makes the place I’m staying in feel a lot more glamorous haha.
No kidding! I imagine it was a tough life back then. It certainly makes me appreciate all the modern day comforts like running water and air conditioning.
That’s absolutely Beautiful. Thank you for sharing and thank you for giving us some history along with the journey. 🤗♥️
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. It was fun to learn more about the history of this area as we walked through the ruins. I can only imagine what this place might have looked like in its former glory.
Wow, you did have a great day for exploring. I would not want to do this on a hot summer day, without any shade. Looks like a great place to explore ancient life and history. Have a great Wednesday Linda. Allan
Oh I know! It actually helped that the baby didn’t really adjust to the time change (which means we didn’t either). It typically meant we got an early start to the day, which is always great for avoiding the worst of the heat and the crowds (not that it was very busy though). Take care. Linda
What a great find. A little history and a nice walk. You seem to have a good routine with the baby. Maggie
She was about five months old when we took this trip, which was a great age for travelling as she still slept quite a bit and wasn’t teething or crawling (unlike now). We just worked around her nap schedule. We’ll heading to Nova Scotia next month so let’s hope she still enjoys being outdoors and in her baby carrier!
Wow time flies! Have fun in NS! Maggie
Thanks! I’m looking forward to getting a change of scenery!
Such a beautiful area! Thanks for sharing the wonderful views, Linda. ❤️😊
The views of the mountains in the background were beautiful. I’m just glad we went early in the morning as there was no protection from the sun along the trail.
Great idea! The rocks can reflect a lot of heat.
Our family motto is “cling to the shadows”. I don’t think we could survive being in the desert during the hottest part of the day or the hottest part of year!
What a lovely place! I shared your site with my friend who has a new baby as they, too, like to travel and explore. Thanks of sharing your adventures!
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. It was fascinating to learn more about the history of the area. Plus the scenery was pretty spectacular as well. Hopefully your friends are able to still go on adventures with their baby. It requires a lot more planning and taking way more stuff than usual, but I think it’s worth it!
The sky is such a beautiful blue! Did the kivas offer explanations of the rituals performed?
Blue skies are always great for taking pictures and hiking. The trail guide didn’t include any information on how the rituals were performed in the kiva, just that the Pecos people thought they connected the world above to the spirits of the underworld. They performed rituals and brought offerings to the spirits to receive good fortune.
This is such a neat place with some really cool history! Love the photos- and felt like i walked through with you!
Thanks for your lovely comment. While the ruins here aren’t nearly as impressive compared to some of the other ancestral sites in the Four Corners region, it was neat to learn more about the Pecos people and their history. Plus we had the place mostly all to ourselves, which is always great.
Amazing place, must be very interesting to know it.
Thank’s for share Linda, have a wonderful time.
Keep well. Elvira
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. This was a fun excursion to learn more about the history of the area, stretch our legs and enjoy the nice weather. Cheers. Linda
These are meagre vestiges compared with what remains of the Maya in neighbouring Mexico, in similar climatic conditions. What a beautiful blue sky!
I can’t get over how blue the skies were when you went. Was it really hot? What an interesting place with intriguing history Pecos National Historical Park is!
It’s always great to have nice weather when you’re on holidays, especially when you’re spending time outside. It was about 22C when we went first thing in the morning, but there was very little shade. I ended up taking an umbrella with me to provide some protection from the sun for the little one.
Wonderfully new to me. Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. It was great that the park provided a trail guide so we could learn more about the history of the area during our hike.
A fascinating tour, Linda! I love that all this time later, the structures and the ritual gathering spaces have lasted. It speaks to the craftsmanship and how things were built back then, with stones, and to last. I doubt any of the things we are building today will last in the same way these structures have.
Oh I know! While we’re a lot quicker to build things today, you’re absolutely right about how the craftsmanship and quality just isn’t what it used to be. But hey, I’ll take it if it means we have access to many modern day amenities like electricity, running water and air conditioning! It’ll be curious to see what our infrastructure and housing developments are like a few hundred years from now.
It’s so beautiful! Thank you for sharing your experience with us.🌺
It was neat to hike through the ruins and try to imagine what this village used to look like during its heyday. I’m glad we had clear skies to also enjoy the surrounding scenery and views of the mountains. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
I love what you just said. It really sets up the scenery. 🌺 You enjoy the rest of the weekend, too.
Aww thanks. You are too kind.
I was just here less than 2 years ago, so I was pretty much nodding along to your entire post and remembering our visit. Great photos!
Thanks! The ruins are relatively small and aren’t as grand compared to some of the other ancestral sites in the Four Corners regions, but I quite enjoyed them. Glad to hear you’ve been here as well.
Interesting place to visit and the views are lovely.
For sure. I imagine life was tough for the Pecos people, but what a beautiful view to wake up to every day!
Amazing stone works!
For sure. I can’t even begin to imagine how much time and labour it took to build this village and the wall around it. Plus they made their own bricks too.
Such a wonderful historical place and very sorry to watch the beautiful earth destroyed and abandoned 🌷🙏🙁
The photos are all marvellous and grace, dear your explanations interesting 🤔 thank you so much for sharing
and graceful wishes my friend 🌷🙏💗😊
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. It was neat to learn more about the history of this place during our walk. It’s pretty amazing how much as been preserved and is still left standing. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Linda
Blue skies and sunshine — you have to love hiking conditions like these! It seems like an “easy on the foot” trail to follow. Thanks for sharing a bit of the history of the Pecos people.
It’s amazing how the blue skies and sunshine can make such a difference to how the landscape looks (and for taking pictures). The trail was short and sweet, which was kind of nice when we’re lugging our baby around in her carrier. It was a great way to see the ruins and learn more about the history of the area.
Very interesting Linda and good to learn something along the trail. Was it very hot whilst you were there as it looks it from the photos?
Temperature-wise it wasn’t too bad. It was around 22C. However the trail was in the full sun and there wasn’t much shade coverage. I ended up taking an umbrella to give the little one (and myself) some protection from the sun. I’m so glad we went first thing in the morning.
A similarly fascinating experience Linda. I love how isolated it feels, it’s hard to imagine 2000 people once here. You had an incredible sky and such a contrast from the at time orangey glow of the stonework.
Oh I know! It seems they nailed the concept of densification and tiny living. It was such a beautiful day outside with those bright blue skies. There wasn’t much shade along the trail though so we didn’t dilly-dally.
Wow it’s amazing to imagine it as a busy and bustling settlement all those years ago. It looks super hot with very little shade, but such a cool place to explore!
We went first thing in the morning, but it was still quite hot under the full sun. I ended up using an umbrella for a bit of shade, which worked pretty well.
Pecos National Historical Park offers a glimpse into centuries of history
It sure does. And the best way to learn about the history was walking through the ruins and trying to imagine what life must have been like for the Pecos people. Thanks so much for reading and leaving a comment.
Beautiful pictures of the park! It is amazing to see this glimpse back in time and imagine the daily life of the people here 🙂
Oh I know! I imagine it was a hard life, but at least the scenery was beautiful.
The structures are fascinating and look well preserved.
Wow! I love the blue skies and that incredibly red rock. Makes for striking phoits. Food for thought about the size of their population and how they had to uproot and leave the area because they could no longer sustain life there.
I’m so glad we went first thing in the morning though as there was no shade on the trail (except for the umbrella I took for baby M). It’s interesting to think that climate change could have been an issue even back then for the Pecos people. Makes me wonder a bit about our future.
Isn’t that the truth. Climate change has been talked about since the Industrial Revolution, but it seems to be going faster.
For sure. It’s wild that there’s been talk (and research) about climate change for so long and yet there’s still so many people that refuse to acknowledge it or believe it’s real. It certainly does seem to be getting worse even looking at the extreme weather and things like wildfires. So sad what happened to Jasper.
Just look at that gorgeous blue sky – it’s so amazing and blue! I love how Pecos National Historical Park is filled with ancient cultural history and geography that can take your breath away as thousands of years of history are held within the boundaries of this park.
While the rich culture, fascinating history, and tons of outdoor activities are what you can expect during a visit to the Northern New Mexico oasis. It also begs the question, when is the best time of the year to visit as it must get unbearably hot during the summer months. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
While the ruins at Pecos aren’t the most extensive or the grandest, we really enjoyed wandering around and learning more about the history of this place and the people. It’s not a bad view to wake up to every morning, but it can get quite hot under the beating sun. And there is very little shade here. You’re right about how it can get unbearably hot in New Mexico during the summer, which is one of the main reasons we visited in the spring. For the nicest weather, the best time of year to visit is during the shoulder seasons from April to May and September to October. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your day. Linda
I have to keep that in mind for when we gonna plan a trip to New Mexico as we are so unused to Irish summers when temperatures barely reach +20′ C 🥰🥰
Oh gosh, that would be our ideal weather in the summer! All the more reason for us to visit Ireland!
Beautiful photographs of this area of New Mexico. I love visiting national parks. This one is new for me. I’ll write it down in my travel notebook. 🙂
Thanks so much for your lovely comment. I’m such a fan of national parks as well. One of my goals is to visit every national park in North America. We’re making good progress, but there’s still a lot to see! Hopefully you’re able to visit New Mexico someday as the history of the ancestral Pueblo people is fascinating.
I’m glad that the Pecos areas are still preserved. It’s really wild how many civilizations there were before present day . It’s sad that they ask can’t be preserved but I’m grateful for the bits of history we can still see and learn about. Great post!
Thanks so much. It was fascinating to learn more about the Pecos people and to visit the ruins. It must have been tough for them to leave it all behind.
Seems like you had a great time
Absolutely! It was neat to wander among the ruins and try to imagine what it must have been like during its hey day.