2017 Western Trip - Day Eight

The major part of today was taken up by travel.  It took us about 5 hours to drive north from Carlsbad to the Pecos National Historical Park in Pecos, NM. The route was through a lot of desert, past the oil wells and refineries of Artesia, past the UFO Museum in Roswell, past herds of cattle grazing on prairie grass (and to our delight, a scattering of mule deer sharing the grazing land).

As we neared Pecos the land became more hilly and verdant, with more trees and shrubs, indicating that water was more plenteous. The entrance to Pecos National Historical Park is just off the old Santa Fe Trail, now a tourist highway. At a modern Visitors' Center we watched a short video with the history of the Pecos Pueblo (narrated by Greer Garson). It was the story similar to that of the Taos Pueblo - an Indian civilization living in relative harmony with nature and other tribes until the coming of the Spanish, searching for gold, bringing with them Franciscan friars seeking to make converts of the tribes folk. The native religions were suppressed and the natives were conscripted to work for the invaders. At Pecos, natives were made to build a huge church, to rival the size of the pueblo.

Of course there was a revolt by the Indians, the story of which we had heard at Taos. The Spanish were driven out, the Pecos church burned. But the Spanish returned, more determined than ever to claim the land for Spain. Gradually the population of the Pecos Pueblo dwindled and finally the remnant went to live with kinsfolk at the Jemez Pueblo.

All that is left of the community is the second, smaller church, and the low walls showing what was the Spanish outpost next to the church.  The passage of years obliterated the pueblo buildings, which are now being researched and uncovered.  We were able to see the low walls showing a small portion of the South pueblo buildings, but much more research work waits to be done.

At the end of the self-guided tour of the remains, we crossed a small bridge that straddled the original Santa Fe Trail.  We then made our way into present day Santa Fe, checked into our hotel, and found a Mexican restaurant - Tomasitas - that had been featured in "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives".  Jan proclaimed it had the best guacamole she had ever eaten.

Tomorrow we will see the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum/Gallery, and head on to Frisco, CO.