Here is another scenic byway to check out when you come to visit the state of New Mexico.
This one is scenic but right in line with the New Mexico personality; it is also a spiritual journey. It is spiritual because on it you will discover places where spirits of many types of people have left their mark. They are the native peoples, miners, Spanish explorers, mountain men, and homesteaders.
This is a 93 mile drive that begins in the southern part of New Mexico. You begin at San Lorenzo at the junction of Nm 152 and Nm 35. San Lorenzo is a sleepy village except on the feast day of Saint Lorenzo at the Acoma Pueblo's Acomita Village on August 10. Like other feast days celebrated by the pueblos in New Mexico there are traditional dances, food and festivities. In this festival anyone name Lawrence or Lorenzo throws gifts to visitors from the rooftops. See the Pueblos of Northen New Mexico article for more info on festivals:
http://www.thesantafesite.com/Articles/indianpueblos.html
At San Lorenzo you can visit Acoma, the oldest continuously inhabited Indian pueblo in North America, which stands atop the 367-foot high rock of Ako. The church here is also a place to see. Many people come from as far as California to walk to the miracle room at this church. It is said that the statues here emanate intense warmth from their eyes.
After San Lorenzo go west down NM 35 through the Mimbres Valley. There is a cutoff here to bear Canyon Lake where a little known fishing and recreation area is. Off to the left of the lake is the Mimbres Valley. Here you will see horses grazing peacefully in lush irrigated fields. It is why this area has been a desirable place to live for thousands of years. The Mimbres Valley is historically significant primarily because of the Mimbres Indians who lived here almost a thousand years ago. The Mimbres are thought to live in pit houses, then semi-pit houses, and then to above ground pueblos. The uncertainty is what happened to the Mimbres people. It is speculated that the original Mimbrenos moved away, and were integrated into other cultures, possibly to the south. It is possible that the Mimbrenos exhausted the natural resources of the area, and were forced to relocate, or were forced to move due to drought.
Mimbres pottery is the most famous artifact of the Mimbres culture. Pottery was made in plain and corrugated brown clay, polychrome, black and red, and the famous black and white. The black and white pottery usually depicted animals encountered in daily life, daily routines, or geometric designs. Cranes, turkeys, fish, mosquitoes or hummingbirds, small mammals, and humans often grace Mimbres pottery. For more information on the Mimbres civilization check out:
http://www.mimbrenos.com/History.htm
Go a little further west and see the Continental Divide hiking trail sign. This marks a primitive hiking trail. Here is a 14 mile long segment of wooded country where wildflowers, butterflies and birds abound. There is also a New Mexico Council Audubon trail created here to really take in the bird watching.
Continue west to Lake Roberts. Here it is common to see herds of deer grazing. After the lake turn right Nm 15. Drive 19 miles on this route to Gila Cliff Dwellings It is a National Monument. This is another Cliff Dwellings park but smaller than Bandelier or Mesa Verde Park but no less amazing and beautiful.
This cliff dwelling was inhabited by the Mogollan tribes from 1280 to 1300. For more info check out the site:
http://www.nps.gov/gicl/
Head down Nm 15 south to the mining town of Pinos Altos. Gold was discovered here in 1860. Many of the buildings from that era are still standing. On a weekend night you may be able to see a melodrama at the opera house.the saloon here is also a fun place to visit.
Continue south on NM 15 to US 180 and then northeast on NM 152 .
Here there is an overlook that takes in the Chino mine. This is one of the largest open pit copper mines in the world. Chino mine is the source for many local legends. The Kneeling Nun Monument overlooks the Chino Mine and has many legends itself.
A few more miles brings you back to your start.
Eileen Richardson
