[ADXA] NPOTA MN65 - Salinas Pueblo Missions

[Richard Harris]

​Today I decided to activate this National Monument again. There are
actually three Missions that compose the NM near Mountainair, New Mexico.
The visitor's center is there but the three missions are nearby: Abo, about
8 miles to the west; Quarai, about 10 miles northeast; and Gran Quivira,
about 22 miles to the south. I had been to Abo and Quarai before so this
trip was primarily to see Gran Quivira.

In the stones of the Salinas Valley pueblo ruins are faint echoes of the
communities that lived there 300 years ago. Before they left the area in
the 1670s, Pueblo Indians forged a stable agricultural society whose
members lived in apartment-like complexes and participated, through rule
and ritual, in the cycles of nature. Two ancient southwestern cultural
traditions, the
Ancestral Puebloans - often called Anasazi - and Mogollon, overlapped in
the Salinas Valley to produce the later societies at Abo, Gran Quivira, and
Quarai. These groups had roots as far back and 7000 years ago.

Soon after Spain had conquered and colonized Mexico, tales of great wealth
to the North drew explorers to New Mexico. Coronado's expedition in 1540
failed to turn up the fabled land of Quivira although the name and story
lingered on. Spain finally concluded that New Mexico would never be
profitable. However, the Pope had charged the Spanish Crown with
Christianizing the natives of the New World.  Philip II decided to maintain
the colony as primarily a missionary effort. Franciscan missionaries were
dispatched. However, the Spanish and Pueblo priests viewed each other's
religions through the lens of their own cultures. Conflicts erupted along
with natural disasters, famine, diseases and Apache raids. The Salinas
pueblos and missions were abandoned during the 1670s. The Spanish were
expelled from New Mexico in 1680.

I did run the park at Gran Quivira (Socorro County) between 1617Z  and
1816Z. Conditions were really poor and I only managed to work 29 stations.
I visited Quarai (my favorite) to take some pictures and then finished up
at Abo (Torrance County).  I ran the park again at Abo between 2030Z  and
2110Z.  Conditions were still unsettled but much better than earlier.  I
managed to work an additional 49  stations for a day's total of 78. Round
trip of 284 miles.

Photos:

1, 2, 3 - Gran Quivira

4,5 - Quarai

6 - Abo (Picture taken on an earlier trip)

7 - Train buffs will recognized the name Abo Canyon as the primary Transcon
route of BNSF. Lots of trains to photograph!
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