Albuquerque, New Mexico

Tijeras is Spanish for "scissors"

Albuquerque has been a place we try to get through as quickly as possible in the past. This time we stopped and looked past the Big-I where the interstates meet in the middle of the city and stayed east of the city in the small town of Tijeras.

We made a visit to the Petroglyph National Monument which protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago.

The three different sites have hiking trails in lengths from one to four miles roundtrip to see hundreds of petroglyphs. They are very different than those we had seen in the past due to the combination of the Native American and Spanish cultures. 

Hiking in Boca Negra Canyon (a shorter section) up the hill while trying not to stumble on the rocks on the path.

Then we headed over to the Rinconada Canyon with 1200 petroglyphs for a 2.2 mile walking path. The Pueblo elders believe that the petroglyphs choose to whom and when they reveal themselves. We may have missed some but we saw plenty. 

Among the most common Spanish petroglyphs were those of religious beliefs and cultural traditions.

Petroglyphs are rock carvings made by pecking the rock surface using a stone chisel and a hammerstone, chipping off the desert varnish on the surface of the rock, the lighter rock underneath was exposed, creating the petroglyph. Archaeologists have estimated there may be over 25,000 petroglyph images along the 17 miles within the monument boundary.

The arrival of Spanish people in 1540 had a dramatic impact on the lifestyle of the pueblo people. In 1680 the Pueblo tribes rose up in revolt of Spanish rule, and drove the settlers out of the area and back to El Paso, Texas. In 1692 the Spanish resettled in the Albuquerque area. A small percentage of the petroglyphs found within the park pre-date the Puebloan time period, perhaps reaching as far back as B.C. 2000.

Spanish shepherds left symbols that were important to them such as sheep and crosses resembling Latin crosses in the 1700-1800s.

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center's museum is a place to discover the history, culture, and art of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico.

 The picture to the right is for sale $4,600 and the middle is $100,000. I had to do a double take and count the zeros.

 Inside the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Pueblo Harvest is a restaurant known for regional and Native-sourced, Pueblo-inspired cuisine.

We shared the Tewa Fry bread taco once we added the Christmas chile (red and green) on the side. But the spicy green was the best and not too hot.

The Singing Highway

I like to use Atlas Obscura or Roadside America to find interesting things to see and do when we get to a new place. This time Jeff from Ruffin it with Rufus had suggested checking out "The Singing Highway".

On this quarter-mile section of the highway, the rumble strips have been engineered to sound like the song “America the Beautiful.” Drivers have to be going 45 miles per hour to hear the vibrations in action. The “Musical Highway” on the eastbound Route 66 was installed by the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the National Geographic Channel to encourage drivers on this stretch of the historic road to slow down and adhere to the speed limit.

I didn't do a good job of recording the singing highway. But you can right click on this link for the singing highway.

 Bike riding in New Mexico has its hazards such as gusting sidewinds and goatheads (stickers). We managed to avoiding being blown over or a flat tire.

The Turquoise Trail

One rainy day, we took a drive on the Turquoise Trail, a scenic highway linking Albuquerque and Santa Fe through rolling hills with mountain views and historic mining towns.

 The archeological site is the furthest south on the Turquoise Trail in Tijeras.

The self-guided trail meanders over the area where the people of this village lived over 700 years ago.  Interpretive signs give a glimpse into the lives of the Pueblo people who occupied the village. Pieces of turquoise were found embedded in the kiva walls for decoration.

The Periscopes at different heights give a good view of the copper mine above the pueblo which was a good source of Malachite. The green malachite was crushed and bound with resin from the pinon trees to decorate clothing and ceremonial items.

Cerrillos is a lazy rural town with a few shops, art studios, and western scenery. It is known for its Cerrillos Turquoise and as the setting for "Young Guns," filmed in 1988.

Madrid, New Mexico,is a main stop on the Turquoise Trail. Madrid was once a coal mining town and the streets are lined with small miner's homes, which have been
converted into shops and galleries. Disney's "Wild Hogs" was filmed here.

On to Socorro, NM