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  3. TRAVEL: 2007 through 2011
  4. JULY AND AUGUST, 2009. NEW MEXICO

NEW MEXICO: LAS TRAMPAS AND BANDELIER

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And now, over the ancient pathway (yes, with modern steps, railings, and ladders -- but no escalators or elevators) to the Alcove House.
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And now, over the ancient pathway (yes, with modern steps, railings, and ladders -- but no escalators or elevators) to the Alcove House.

bandelieralcove housecliff dwellingsnew mexico

  • Well, Scott, Glen, Stacey, Barret, Charley, Jim, Delores, Marsha, Steve, and Taz had all left. Mom and Dad decided that they just as well take the lone remaining fellow (me) on a super trip to the south. Here, we have a meal at Pendaries. Set in a beautiful bowl-valley in the Sangre de Cristo mountains east and a little north of Santa Fe, this is basically a golf course and development area -- for people who REALLY like golf and the mountains. They do make a mean burrito, and also good hamburger and fries.<br /> <br /> <br /> If you are curious about where these were taken, selected photos are mapped. Have fun with the "Map This" feature, accessible by clicking the little "i" in the circle.
  • Take the "High Road to Taos" (NM 76) and you will pass through the small town and National Historic District of Las Trampas.
  • This Spanish colonial village dates back to 1751. In 1760, the villagers began erecting, on the original town square, this church. Some sources say that the church was not finished until 1776 or 1780, but I assume that it became usable as a church in 1760, since that is what the sign says.
  • It is now considered to be one of the best preserved examples of Spanish Colonial Mission architecture in New Mexico, and is still an active parish church. Las Trampas became a National Historic District in 1967, and this charming church building became a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
  • So now we go from the old to the ancient. Frijoles Canyon, in Bandelier National Monument. <br /> <br /> Dad is standing in the center of the Tyuonyi Pueblo. While there is evidence of people in this valley dating back more than 10,000 years, this village was built and inhabited in the 1300's and 1400's. It was probably two stories high in places, with about 400 rooms, providing living and working space for about 100 people.<br /> <br /> Click the "Map This" button above and you will have access to an amazing aerial view of these ruins (from the map page, click on photo #3 in the right-hand panel, and then zoom in by use of the top of the zoom arrow in the upper left -- If you have a large screen and get the message that detail does not exist in this area for that zoom level, just click the minus sign on the bottom of the zoom tool to 'unzoom' a bit.).
  • Looking back at Tyuonyi (pronounced chew-OHN-yee) Pueblo from further up the trail. Imagine standing here 600 years ago and hearing the sounds of women grinding corn, dogs barking, parrots calling (yes, these people did have dogs, and had an apparently well-established trade network which allowed them to obtain live parrots from Mexico). Smell the corn flat bread baking, and watch the children laugh while they herd turkeys (they grew turkeys and wove their feathers with yucca threads to make blankets) and and play games. Feel the shock waves in the air as the men swing stone axes, which meet heavy wooden beams as they work to construct homes. There are more dwellings (which you will see in the next few photos) behind us, in the cliffs. These cliff dwellings and Tyuonyi Pueblo were all inhabited at the same time.
  • From what I read, it is not known how living spaces were distributed. Did the elite live in the Tyuonyi Pueblo and lower castes live in the cliffs? Or were certain families known for certain lifestyles? Or did some people just choose the center of action (the Tyuonyi) and others chose the "ancient 'burbs" in the cliffs? One thing is for certain, though: It wasn't "white flight" which resulted in populating these outlying areas.
  • The cliffs look like sandstone, but they are not. The highlands are actually huge, ancient, ash-flows which have hardened over time. The technical name for this type of rock is "tuff." As you can see from the swiss cheese appearance, tuff ain't so tough. It is actually pretty soft. It weathers easily and is relatively easy (compared with most stone) to hollow out. So, this was another manner of building a dwelling.
  • Looking out from inside the dwelling you saw in the last photo.
  • The inhabitants also built with rock outside the cave dwelling, so that the cliff dwellers often had homes which were a combination of a cave and stone-and-mortar building. The building to your right was re-constructed in 1920's There is some controversy now as to whether or not it is truly of authentic style.
  • These dwellings extend along the cliff for quite some distance (this is not the same one you saw earlier). I would guess at least a mile, but I may be way off.
  • By the way, I had thought that the proper name for the inhabitants of these places was Anasazi, meaning "Ancient Ones." However, I read now that the word "Anasazi" is actually Navajo for "Ancient Enemies" and is, for obvious reasons, considered offensive. The accepted and politically-correct term now is "Ancestral Pueblo People." I've got to admit that this makes me a little bit sad: "Ancestral Pueblo People" just doesn't have the ring and mystique to it that the word "Anasazi" has. But, while it may surprise some who know me, I prefer to not offend -- so I'll go with "Ancestral Peublo People."
  • It's my understanding that the trail through here basically follows the ancient path followed by the Ancestral Pueblo People. Of course, the steps and rails are more modern.
  • The small holes in the straight row (called viga holes) were scraped out of the cliff for insertion of wooden beams. These beams then supported the roofs for the buildings (the bases of which you see here). So the small cave opening you see here would have opened onto the roof or into the second story.
  • As I mentioned earlier, the dwellings just keep going and going along the cliffs. It's easy to imagine these dwellings complete and covering the smoothed-out area at the lower portion of the cliffs. Some places they were one story. Some places two. And some places even up to three stories tall. It is now thought that openings were always (or nearly always) on the roof, and that the inhabitants used ladders to climb up to the entrance.
  • There were signs everywhere to "stay on the trail." This current inhabitant, I think, was well aware that the humans passing near her would remain on the well-trodden pathway.
  • Hey, Dad: When do I get to see YOUR photos?
  • And now, over the ancient pathway (yes, with modern steps, railings, and ladders -- but no escalators or elevators) to the Alcove House.
  • To get the correct perspective on this photo, you must turn your monitor upward, so that you are looking STRAIGHT DOWN onto your screen. Up above the valley trees, we are nearly to the Alcove House.
  • In ancient times, there were rooms for about 25 people here at Alcove House. Today, there is a small alcove behind me and to my left (you can walk where the walls of the ancient homes were, but the remnants are pretty much gone) and a re-built Kiva.
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