Pecos National Historical Park

Santa Fe Skies RV Park

Santa Fe, New Mexico

August 27, 2026
 

About a 30 - 40 minute drive from Santa Fe, an ancestral pueblo and the remains of an adobe mission stand as a meaningful reminder of people and cultures that once lived here.  As usual, the first stop was the Visitor Center and small museum.  Though small, the museum serves as a great introduction to the region's history, archeology, and contemporary connections.  

The Pecos People who belong to the Puebloan culture were the first to settle here.  By the 1400s, smaller scattered villages consolidated into a singular massive  multi-story stone and adobe fortress-pueblo housing over 2,000 people. The location between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Great Plains was the perfect place to host massive "trade fairs" where the Plains tribes (Apache and Comanche) exchanged buffalo hides and flint for Rio Grande Pueblo pottery, crops, and turquoise.  Around 1540 when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, smallpox epidemics and intense Comanche raids drastically reduced their population. 

These beautiful pots were made entirely from locally sourced earth (without a potter's wheel) and reflect a deep spiritual connection between the land and centuries-old indigenous traditions.  Traditional pottery is created using a hand-coiled method where ropes of clay are coiled/stacked then scraped smooth with a gourd tool. Paint was made from dark minerals and plants.

Ancestral puebloans created sacred or symbolic animal and human ceramic sculptures. These were used for religious expression and cultural storytelling.   

In 1540, the first Spanish expedition arrived from Mexico in search of gold and silver.  After 80 years of religious oppression, disease, drought and discontent, the Puebloans drove out the colonizers and today, the Pueblo Revolt is the only successful indigenous revolt against European colonizers on North American soil. 

Several different missions were built on site. The last one was completed in 1717 on the rubbles of the 1625 mission that was destroyed in the revolt. 

When Mexico gained independence from Spain 1821, new settlers and traders moved into the region.  Hispanic towns grew as the population of the Pecos Pueblo dwindled.  Five homesteads were established within the current park boundaries.  As the United States also expanded westward, trade routes emerged between Santa Fe and Missouri. And by 1880, railroad lines connected New Mexico to the rest of the country.   

Archeologists have been studying Pecos since the 1880s when Adolph Bandelier first mapped the Pecos Pueblo. Excavations began in 1915 and discoveries formed the basis of cultures from the ancient Southwest. 

Dude Ranching became a way of life. A working cattle ranch that welcomed tourists to Pecos to experience the Old West.

The ranch was purchased in 1941 and from that time until 1990, the owner spent summers there raising cattle and entertaining guests. 

A 1.25 mile loop begins and ends at the Visitor Center.  It is an easy walk on a gravel/dirt path and is puppy friendly. 

Kivas are sacred subterranean or surface rooms used by Pueblo Indian people for religious ceremonies, community meetings, and social gatherings. 

Back at Belle, we enjoy our leisurely strolls every morning and late afternoons.  

And the patio view from our site, Y 17...it never disappoints! 

Sunrise

Until next time, 

HAPPY TRAILS...

and SWEET DREAMS!

Up next...one of the most unique landscapes we have ever seen.