Pecos, N.M.
NPS Website
WHAT IS IT?
Three sites, 1) the ruins of a 15th Century pueblo and two accompanying Spanish colonial missions; 2) the Glorieta Pass Civil War battlefield; and 3) a 19th Century cattle ranch at one point owned and inhabited by Hollywood actress Greer Garson, known for her 1943 role as Mrs. Miniver and for the resulting 5½ minute-long Oscar acceptance speech.
BEAUTY (6/10)
The imposing snow-capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains provide the backdrop for the extensive Pecos Pueblo adobe ruins. The big blue sky of high country New Mexico never fails to impress.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (7/10)
For at least 1,000 years Pecos was a population center. Displayed here are broad histories of farming, Spanish colonial intrusion and mission life. Pecos NHP is also home to so many interesting historical events that represent distinctly different time periods. Here are a few:
Famed conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado passed through the Pecos Indian town in 1540. Here he encountered a captured Plains Indian who told him of great cities of gold located in the Great Plains to the east. Coronado did not realize the deception until he reached the desolate plains of Kansas. At that point, he strangled his mendacious Indian guide.
In March of 1862, around the same time as the Battle of Fort Donelson, Confederate soldiers marched through the area, aiming to conquer and control the gold mines of Colorado and California and recruit Mormons and Coloradoans for their fight. Instead, they were met at Glorieta Pass by Union major John Chivington, later infamous for his slaughter of Indian women and children at Sand Creek. At Glorieta, the Union troops caught the approaching Confederates in an inescapable canyon and killed at least half of their numbers before their eventual surrender.
In 1915, archeologist A.V. Kidder began excavation of the Pecos ruins. Here he pioneered archeological method becoming the first person to carefully dig trash heaps layer by layer (instead of the accepted method of mass removal) and dating the evidence accordingly as he delved lower. His method attributed periods of inhabitation to distinct styles of pottery.
CROWDS (6/10)
There were not many people at Pecos NHP due to the unseasonably cold weather. Everyone keeps telling us that spring is just around the corner. We sure hope so.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (4/5)
The Pecos NHP Visitor Center is located a few miles north of Interstate 25, Exit 307 along New Mexico Route 63. The site is 25 miles southeast of Santa Fe, N.M. If you are traveling to Pecos NHP as a day trip from Santa Fe, take I-25 North. Yes, north. I-25 North actually dips southeastwardly from Santa Fe for 60 miles before it makes a 90-degree turn to the northeast at Exit 330.
A leisurely 1¼-mile path winds through the pueblo ruins at Pecos. Tours of the other two sections of the Park, the Glorieta Battlefield and the Forked Lightning Ranch, must be scheduled in advance and done with an NPS Ranger. They are otherwise closed to the public.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (4/5)
The Site’s modest but specialized selection of books is displayed in a gorgeous hand-carved wooden bookshelf. Pecos NHP must be the only NPS Site that carries A Rose for Mrs. Miniver – The Life of Greer Garson and the DVD version of Mrs. Miniver. There are autographed copies of three books written about the Battle of Glorieta Pass. There cannot be much more written about this oft-forgotten battle, can there? Other interesting titles include a few that detail Cowboy poetry and philosophy and one that follows Louis L’Amour through the west.
We did not expect to see any of these titles at a Site we thought to be simply Ancestral Puebloan ruins.
COSTS (3/5)
Entry is $3 per person or free with the National Parks Pass. Your admission is good for Fort Union NHS, located 60 miles to the northeast.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (3/5)
There was one Ranger and one volunteer posted at the Site’s front desk, answering questions and collecting fees. The talkative volunteer told us that he gives tours of the Glorieta Pass on a near weekly basis.
TOURS/CLASSES (7/10)
Hollywood has placed its stamp on the educational experience at Pecos NHP. Greer Garson provides the introductory video’s English narration while Ricardo Montalban handles the Spanish. Garson even donated her meticulous Pecos Indian life dioramas to the Site’s Museum. The Museum effectively combines her donations and artifacts with informational panels and lively murals. The vast range of the Site’s history is effectively recounted in easy to follow timelines and exhibits.
A helpful self-guided trail pamphlet, available for $0.50 at the front desk, takes the place of Ranger tours. You can borrow a booklet during your stay if you do not wish to purchase it as a keepsake. Gab did a wonderful job as an ersatz Ranger, explaining Pecos’s history station to station through 45-degree weather and gusty hilltop winds.
FUN (7/10)
We had a good time all around at Pecos NHP, from the video to the museum to the Scenic Ruins and Mission Trail. We especially enjoyed traveling down into a reconstructed kiva and out of the cold. It is no wonder that so much of Ancestral Puebloan life revolved around these underground refuges.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (7/10)
When the day began, we anticipated just a brief stop at Pecos NHP on the way to another site. We assumed that the latter stop would take most of our time and interest and that Pecos NHS would be yet another Indian ruin, offering little in explanation or interpretation. We were wrong.
We knew nothing about the Hollywood actress’ obsession with this area of New Mexico or the significance of the Glorieta Pass. The story of the pueblo, the mission and their subsequent excavation were equally fascinating and well-told. There seemed to be no end to Pecos’ layers of history. We felt like the archeologist Kidder unearthing a deeper level of pottery shards, more detailed and carefully crafted than the ones before. Pecos NHP is an intriguing find, well worth exploring.
TOTAL 54/80
www.usa-c2c.com
© 2005