Pecos National Historical Park
Pecos National Historical Park was high on my list of must visit places in New Mexico. First of all, I really needed to visit the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Paul Simon mentions them in his Hearts and Bones song, and I’ve always kind of romanticized it and thought if I was ever in the area, I would definitely visit them. And hike in them.
Also Pecos NHP is full of lots of history and I had read that it had some of the best pueblo and mission to explore in the area.
It is located in the beautiful Glorieta Pass of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico. These are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains and the mountains Paul Simon mentions in his song “Hearts and Bones.” I have always kind of romanticized them and wanted to visit. It was gorgeous.
This Historical Park is comprised of a couple of areas. We visited the mission and had the experience of descending into kivas and exploring the pueblos. Absolutely fascinating and a sacred experience.
I had been a little nervous to do it in front of everybody of fear of falling, but I did finally go and I was so pleased to have done so.
The kids, of course, worked on their junior ranger badge. We also visited the museum here which has artifacts of the many eras that Pecos was significant.
It was super interesting as the Gorieta Pass has been used to traverse the mountains in this area for thousands of years. As they say on their website, “Pueblo and Plains Indians, Spanish conquerors and missionaries, Mexican and Anglo armies, Santa Fe Trail settlers and adventurers, tourists on the railroad, Route 66 and Interstate 25…the Pecos Valley has long been a backdrop that invites contemplation about where our civilization comes from and where it is going. Thousands of years of this rich history is preserved for visitors at Pecos National Historical Park.” It is really a unique experience!
We also did some mountain hiking which I think is so beautiful. It had been overcast for the beginning of our Pecos visit, but the sun came out for our hike. The hike was just what I was seeking and it was totally gorgeous. The kids really enjoyed it too. Lucy had been worried about seeing cactus- we saw some on our hike and she was pleasantly surprised!
