New Mexico Interesting Places and Maps

Map of New Mexico

Historically interesting places

Aztec Ruins National Monument
The Aztec Ruins National Monument is an ancient settlement in northwestern New Mexico, near the Colorado border. It was built around 1100 by the Anasazi and not, as was previously believed, by the Aztecs. Today you can still see some puablos there. The monument belongs to the National Park Service and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Contact Website: http://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is located near the city of Silver City in southwestern New Mexico, where remains of cave structures built by the Mogollon in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Mogollon had been living in the area since the first century and other types of buildings of the people have been partially preserved. The people are still known for their pottery.

Contact Website: http://www.nps.gov/gicl/index.htm

Petroglyph National Monument
The Petroglyph National Monument in the semi-desert near Albuquerque preserves the cultural evidence of humanity as well as the natural vegetation of the semi-desert and the volcanic landscape. There are several ruins of Indian settlements from before the Pueblo period. Also worth seeing are the more than 20,000 rock carvings, which were mainly created by Indians from prehistoric times. the area has been a national monument since 1990.

Contact Website: http://www.nps.gov/petr/index.htm

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
The salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in central New Mexico houses ruins of the church of a Spanish mission from the 17th century as well as partially excavated remains of several Indian pueblos. It is geographically divided into three parts: the Quarai Ruins, the Abó Ruins and the Gran Quivira Ruins, whereby the first two only have church ruins and the F´Gran Quivira Ruins both parts of the church ruin and the Indian Pueblos. The Quivira ruins have been a National Monument since 1909, and since 1988 the entire area has been known as the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument as a single monument.

Contact Website: http://www.nps.gov/sapu/index.htm

Pecos National Historical Park
The Pecos National Historic Park near Santa Fe preserves various cultural assets. The best known is the Indian Peco Pueblo, which was built in the 14th century. Today it is considered a National Historical Landmark. Otherwise, the park also includes the ruins of a Spanish mission church, the Glorieta Pass Battlefield from the American Civil War and the Forked Lightning Ranch designed by John Gaw Meem for Tex Austin.

Contact Website: http://www.nps.gov/peco/index.htm

Santa Fe National Historic Trail
The Santa Fe National Historic Trail traces the historic Santa Fe Trail trade route. The Santa Fe Trail was an important trade route in the 19th century, connecting the more densely populated areas of the Missouri River with the wide, open prairie landscapes. After the area was opened up by rail, the Santa Fe Trail lost its importance. Nowadays, or since 1987, the Santa Fe Trail exists as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail and runs through the 5 states of Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico over a total length of approx. 1,937 km and is one of the most interesting long-distance hiking trails in the USA. There are many interesting sights along the Santa Fe National Historic Trail today, such as Pecos National Historical Park, Fort Union National Monument, Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Comanche National Grassland, Cimarron National Grassland as well as the cities of Arrow Rock, Kansas City and of course Santa Fe.

Contact www.nps.gov/safe/index.htm

Special buildings and structures

Rio Grande Gorge
The Rio Grande Gorge is a natural gorge that was cut through the Rio Grande into the basalt of the volcanic Taos plateau. It is 125 km long and sometimes reaches a depth of 300 meters. The gorge is known for its hot springs and numerous petroglyphs. The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge stretches across the gorge. At over 200 meters high, this bridge is the fifth tallest bridge in the USA. It is part of US Route 64.

El Rancho de las Golondrinas
El Rancho de las Golondrinas near Santa Fe is a former ranch from the Spanish colonial era. The ranch was founded in 1710 and today there is a living museum that shows the lifestyle of the colonial era. There are regular costume festivals at which you can dress up like the early Spanish colonial masters.

Contact 334 Los Pinos Street
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507
Website: http://golondrinas.org/index.html

New Mexico State Capitol
The State Capitol in Santa Fe is the government building of the New Mexico government. It is the only round capitol in the United States and was formerly known as a “round house”. It was built in 1966 and is said to represent the sun symbol of the Zia Indians when viewed from above.

Contact 219 State Capitol
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
Website: http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/

Four Corners Monument
The Four Corners Monument marks the location in the American Southwest where the states of Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico meet. It is the only place in the United States in which four states are involved. The monument, where visitors can symbolically place their four limbs in the four different states, is a tourist attraction. It consists of a granite disc and a smaller bronze disc, which shows the borders of the four states with a cross.

Albuquerque Plaza
Albuquerque Plaza is the larger of two office towers at Civic Plaza in downtown Albuquerque. The offices are used by various companies. With 22 floors, Albuquerque Plaza is the tallest building in New Mexico. The slightly smaller tower contains the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque Hotel and is the second tallest building in the state. The two towers are the focal point in the Albuquerque skyline. They were built in 1990 and the architects were Helmuth, Obatha & Kassabaum.

Old Albuquerque High School
Old Albuquerque High School is a former school in Albuquerque that is protected by the United States as a Historic Landmark. The campus consists of five buildings, the oldest of which was built in 1914. The newest building is the library built in 1940. After the school moved to a new building in 1974, the buildings stood empty for decades until they were converted into modern lofts in the early 21st century. The building complex has been on the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties since 1977.

Contact 401 Central NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102

Southwestern Brewery and Ice Company
The Sourthwestern Brewery and Ice Company is a historic building in Albuquerque. It was built in 1898 and is one of the only remaining buildings from the Railroad era in downtown Albuquerque. The former brewery is a brick building with the legendary words “Home of Glorieta Beer” still on it. At the turn of the century, the brewery was one of the largest employers in Albuquerque. The building has been protected by the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.

Contact 601 Commercial St NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102

Sunshine Building in Albuquerque
The Sunshine Building in downtown Albuquerque is a historic building that was built in 1924 by the Trost & Trost company. It is six stories high and originally included offices and a 920-seat cinema. This cinema, the Sunshine Theater, was Albuquerque’s first film palace.

Contact 120 Central Avenue Southwest
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102

Old Town Albuquerque
Old Town Albuquerque is a historic district in Albuquerque, the history of which goes back to the time the city was founded by the Spaniards in 1706. Today the district is primarily known as a shopping and tourist destination. Many of the old town houses are now restaurants and souvenir shops. In the north of the district is the San Felipe de Neri church, built in 1793. Guided tours of the district are offered.

Sandia Peak Tramway
The Sandia Peak tramway is a cable car that runs from the outskirts of Albuquerque into the Sandia Mountains to the Sandia summit. The length of the wire ropes is 4467 m, making the Sandia Peak Tramway the second longest single cable car in the world.

Spaceport Amerika
Very close to White Sands in the New Mexico desert – where Wernherr von Braun used to do his raking attempts – is this spaceport for private flights into space. The plane “White Knight Two”, which launches the “Space Ship Two” rocket between its two fuselages and then releases the rocket at a height of 15 km, is said to be here. The rocket will then reach a height of over 100 km at around four times the speed of sound in around 1.5 minutes. The rocket should remain there for about 4 minutes before landing on the spaceport with the help of foldable wings after about 2.5 hours. Currently, the flight, which is scheduled to take off for the first time at the end of 2013, costs around $ 20,000.
The spaceport can be visited via: “Follow the Sun Inc”.

Map of New Mexico

1UpTravel.com – Maps of New Mexico

Browse a collection of state, city, national park, monument, and historical maps of this US state. Check out maps of Alamogordo city and Aztec Ruins National Monument.

Website: http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/new-mexico.html

New Mexico – National Geographic Map Machine

Gives a brief economic profile of the state known as the Land of Enchantment. The shaded-relief map reveals the locations of rivers and cities.

Website: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/atlas/usstates/snewme

New Mexico – Route 66 Association Map

Use the interactive map to get a more detailed look at a particular area or city in the state.

Website: http://www.rt66nm.org/MAPS/citymap2.html

New Mexico – University of Texas Library

Scan maps of Aztec Ruins National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Chaco Culture Historic Park and Albuquerque as it was in 1920.

Website: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/new_mexico

New Mexico – US Census Bureau Map

Take a look at this clickable map, organized by county, that includes housing information and county business and economic profiles.

Website: http://www.census.gov/datamap/www/35.html