Sights in New Mexico
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Loretto Chapel
The gothic chapel is modeled on St Chapelle in Paris, and was built between 1873 and 1878 for the Sisters of Loretto, the first nuns to come to New Mexico. St Chapelle has a circular stone staircase, but when the Loretto Chapel was being constructed, no local stonemasons were skilled enough to build one and the young architect didn’t know how to build one of wood. The nuns prayed for help and a mysterious traveling carpenter, whom the nuns believed afterward to be St Joseph, arrived. He built what is known as the Miraculous Staircase, a wooden spiral staircase with two complete 360-degree turns and no central or visible support. He left without charging for his labors and…
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Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- New Mexico, USA
- Sights › Other
Scores of wondrous caves hide under the hills at this unique national park, which covers 73 sq miles. The cavern formations are an ethereal wonderland of stalactites and fantastical geological features. You can ride an elevator from the visitor center or take a 2-mile subterranean walk from the cave mouth to the Big Room, an underground chamber 1800ft long, 255ft high and over 800ft below the surface. For claustrophobics and those prone to panic attacks, the chamber and the elevator ride down to it (which descends the length of the Empire State Building in under a minute) may be a less than enjoyable experience.
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San Francisco de Asís Church
Four miles south of Taos in Ranchos de Taos, the oft-photographed San Francisco de Asís Church was built in the mid-18th century but didn't open until 1815. It's been memorialized in Georgia O'Keeffe paintings and Edward Weston photographs.
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Georgia O'keeffe Museum
Possessing the world's largest collection of her work, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum features the artist's paintings of flowers, bleached skulls and adobe architecture. Tours of O'Keeffe's house require advance reservations.
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Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Drive for hours across the desert just to see a cave? But it’s not just any cave; it’s a truly astonishing and immense system of caves, one of the world’s greatest. Once visitors get a glimpse, even the most skeptical are impressed. A visit is, without a doubt, a highlight of any Southwestern journey. But wait, there’s more. The cave’s other claim to fame is the 250,000-plus Mexican free-tail bat colony that roosts here from April through to October. Visitors flock here at sunset to watch them fly out to feast on a smorgasbord of bugs. The park covers 73 sq miles and includes almost 100 caves. Visitors can take a 2-mile subterranean walk from the cave mouth to an under…
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Very Large Array Radio Telescope
In some remote regions of New Mexico, TV reception is little more than a starry-eyed fantasy. About 40 miles west of Socorro, though, 27 huge antenna dishes sprout from the high plains like a couch potato’s dream come true. Actually, the 240-ton dishes comprise the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Very Large Array Radio Telescope. Together, they combine to form a very large eyeball peeking into the outer edges of the universe. It would take a 422ft-wide satellite dish to provide the same resolution that this Y-shaped configuration of 82ft-wide antennas offers the observatory. Sure, the giant ‘scope may reveal the relativistic electron movement in the heavens …
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Albuquerque Biopark
- Albuquerque, USA
- Sights › Zoo
Adults will get as much out of the Albuquerque BioPark as children. When the weather is nice, and you’re traveling with family, the place is especially appealing for the combo ticket to three kid-friendly attractions: a zoo, an aquarium and a botanic gardens. It’s a good-value way to stay entertained all day. Set on 60 shady acres along the Rio Grande, the park’s Rio Grande Zoo is home to more than 250 species. There’s a lot going on here: sea-lion feedings take place daily at 10:30am and 3:30pm, camel rides are offered in the spring and summer, and an entertaining summertime bird show happens at 11:30am and 2pm Wednesday through Sunday. Meanwhile the Albuquerque …
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Smokey Bear Historical State Park
You’ve seen his likeness in state and national forests everywhere around the region. But did you know that Smokey the Bear was a real, live black bear cub and not just a sketch summoned from some designer’s imagination? Once upon a time, he was found clinging to a tree, paws charred from a 17,000-acre forest fire in the Capitan Mountains. Nursed back to health, Smokey lived out the rest of his days in the National Zoo in Washington, DC, and became the poster bear for fire prevention. At the 3-acre Smokey Bear Historical State Park, set in the village of Capitan, 12 miles west of Lincoln, visitors can see the bear’s grave and learn about fire prevention. Every Fourth o…
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Bataan Memorial Military Museum & Library
A labor of both love and war, the Bataan Memorial Military Museum & Library exhibits an unusual collection of military mementoes. It began in 1947 as a display in the state capitol honoring the 'Battling Bastards of Bataan.' Today the museum occupies the former home base of the NM 200th Coast Artillery, captured when the Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1942, and the very last unit to surrender.
Some 70,000 POWs, most Filipino, were forced to walk the brutal, 75-mile Bataan Death March. Of 1800 mostly Hispanic New Mexicans stationed in Bataan, only 900 returned. In addition to exhibits that tell their story, interesting examples of psychological-warfare leaflets from …
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Taos Pueblo
One of the most photographed destinations in New Mexico and continuously inhabited for more than a thousand years, this quintessential example of Pueblo Revival architecture is a must-see for anyone interested in Native American life, history and culture.
Built entirely out of adobe and set against the stunning backdrop of the Sangre de Cristos, Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The two five-story complexes, built between 1000 and 1450 AD, are one of the best examples of pueblo-revival architecture in the country, and have been continuously inhabited for 1000 years. To…
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Rancho de las Golondrinas
About 15 miles south of downtown Santa Fe, in the town of La Cienega, Rancho de las Golondrinas is a grassy oasis that has been a popular overnight for weary travelers for at least 10,000 years, and many of the historic structures housing this living-history museum were built by Spanish explorers who fortified the area in 1625. The 200-acre preserve has rescued dozens more original Spanish buildings from the bulldozers of progress and brought them from all over the Southwest for respectful renovation. Volunteers use centuries-old equipment to re-create colonial life, and blacksmiths, weavers and lots of cuddly livestock - including rare Churro sheep sheared annually at th…
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Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary
Animal-lovers won’t want to miss the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, 20 miles southeast of Ramah off Hwy 53. Home to rescued and captive-born wolves and wolf-dog mixes, the sanctuary offers six interactive walking tours per day, where you walk with the wolves – and get closer than you’ve imagined – that roam the sanctuary’s large natural habitat enclosures. On the quarter-mile walk you’ll learn more about conservation efforts, the sanctuary’s mission and all about wolves – from behavior to what they like to eat. If you want to stay here overnight, primitive camping is available for $10 per night – you’ll need all your own equipment and note that bathrooms are …
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Historic Line Camp Gallery & Huichol Indian Museum
About 15 miles north of Santa Fe, the one-of-a-kind Historic Line Camp Gallery & Huichol Indian Museum is a gift shop and museum that claims the largest collection of Huichol Indian art in North America: Nearika, unbroken strands of colorful yarn coiled into tales of life and death, and chaquira, sculptures of animals covered in tiny, obsessively patterned beads, are said to depict the understandably wild dreams of the 'People of Peyote.'
Westerners didn't encounter the tribe, which lives in a remote region of the Sierra Madre, until the 1930s. The small museum has a video as well as artifacts, including clothing, musical instruments, old photos and art, but the most impr…
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Santuario de Guadalupe
The adobe church is the oldest extant shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the poor in Mexico. It was constructed between 1776 and 1796 near the end of the Camino Real, a 1500-mile trading route from Mexico that ended in Santa Fe. There have been several additions and renovations since. The oil-on-canvas Spanish baroque retablo (altar painting) inside the chapel was painted in Mexico in 1783 by José de Alzíbar. For the trip to Santa Fe, the painting had to be taken apart and transported up the Camino Real in pieces on mule back. Look closely to see the seams where the painting was put back together.
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Tierra Wools
The nearly 100-mile route between Chama and Taos is a fabulous scenic road from late May through the first snows in mid-October. From Chama, take Hwy 84/64 about 11 miles south to see the spectacular cliffs in scenic Brazos Canyon. Just south of Los Brazos in Los Ojos, don’t miss a visit to the famous Tierra Wools, a 100-year-old weaving cooperative in a rustic, century-old building. On weekends, village artisans carry on the Hispanic weaving tradition, with hand-spinning, dyeing and weaving. In addition to a two-bedroom guesthouse, Tierra Wools also offers weaving classes (April to October).
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El Malpais National Monument
Pronounced el mahl-pie-ees; which means ‘bad land’ in Spanish, El Malpais National Monument consists of almost 200 square miles of lava flows abutting adjacent sandstone. Five major flows have been identified; the most recent one is pegged at 2000 to 3000 years old. Prehistoric Native Americans may have witnessed the final eruptions since local Indian legends refer to ‘rivers of fire.’ Scenic Hwy 117 leads modern-day explorers past cinder cones and spatter cones, smooth pahoehoe lava and jagged aa lava, ice caves and a 17-mile-long lava tube system.
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Rio Grande Zoo
Set on 60 shady acres along the Rio Grande, the Rio Grande Zoo is home to more than 250 species. There's a lot going on here: sea lion feedings take place daily at 10:30 and 15:30; camel rides are offered in the spring and summer; and an entertaining summertime bird show happens at 11:30 and 14:00 Wednesday through Sunday. The summertime series Zoo Music (adult/child around US$10/around US$5; h19:00 Fri Jun-Aug) is also quite popular.
Next door is the Albuquerque Aquarium which boasts a 285,000-gallon shark tank. This is particularly well-loved, which isn't surprising given the state's desert environment.
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Taos Art Museum & Fechin Institute
This museum was home to Russian artist Nicolai Fechin, who emigrated to New York City in 1922 at age 42 and moved to Taos in 1926. Today his paintings, drawings and sculptures are in museums and collections worldwide. Between 1927 and 1933, Fechin completely reconstructed the interior of his adobe home, adding his own distinctly Russian woodcarvings. The Fechin house exhibits the artist’s private collection, including much Asian art, and hosts occasional chamber music events. Five-day watercolor, sculpture and other arts workshops are offered from May to October at the nearby ranch.
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Indian Arts Research Center
Make reservations to tour the vaulted collection at the Indian Arts Research Center. The collection consists of more than 11,000 Native American artifacts, much of it pre-colonial, including textiles, baskets, jewelry and lots of pottery. It's not really displayed for public consumption, which makes the tour through the climate-controlled collection that much more interesting; you'll be surrounded by shelves packed with remnants of a time long past. The gift shop (08:00-noon & 13:00-17:00) has an outstanding selection of collection-related books by associates, faculty members and others.
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Museum of International Folk Art
Part of a collection of four very different museums. On Museum Hill, the Museum of International Folk Art houses more than 100,000 objects from more than 100 countries and is arguably the best museum in Santa Fe. The exhibits aren’t simplistically arranged behind glass cases; the historical and cultural information is concise and thorough; and a festive feel permeates the rooms. The Hispanic wing displays religious art, tin work, jewelry and textiles from northern New Mexico and throughout the Spanish colonial empire, dating from the 1600s to the present.
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Historic Santa Fe Foundation
On the site of El Zagúan, an expansive territorial-style mansion purchased in 1849 by Anglo entrepreneur James Johnson, the Historic Santa Fe Foundation is an unassuming little museum on Canyon Rd, with a few interesting exhibits - old photos, potsherds and whatnot. The lovely gardens outside are also worth a look. Create your own walking or driving tour of Santa Fe's historic best by consulting the foundation's registry (available on-site and on the website) of more than 70 Santa Fe buildings considered worthy of historical preservation. Each is marked by a bronze plaque.
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El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe
In a huge warehouse at the developing Santa Fe Railyard site, the kid-friendly El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe is an all-in-one museum, gallery, performance space and community arts center designed for local Hispanic youth. With exhibits by internationally known artists and others still in grade school, plus all manner of displays geared toward home-schooled kids, this is a great place to introduce your own children to la cultura Nuevomexicana. The huge warehouse space hosts art openings, live music and theater. The Santa Fe Farmers Market is also ensconced here in the winter.
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Palace of the Governors
Part of a collection of four very different museum. The Palace of the Governors is one of the oldest public buildings in the country. Built in 1610 by Spanish officials, it housed thousands of villagers when the Indians revolted in 1680 and was home to the territorial governors after 1846. Since 1909 the building has been a museum, with more than 17,000 historical objects reflecting Santa Fe’s Indian, Spanish, Mexican and American heritage. Volunteers lead free, highly recommended palace tours throughout the day; call for exact times.
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Museum of Fine Arts
Part of a collection of four very different museums. The Museum of Fine Arts features works by regional artists and sponsors regular gallery talks and slide lectures. It was built in 1918, and the architecture is an excellent example of the original Santa Fe–style adobe. With more than 20,000 pieces – including collections of the Taos Society of Artists, Santa Fe Society of Artists and other legendary collectives – it’s a who’s who of the geniuses who put this dusty town on par with Paris and New York.
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Petroglyph National Monument
More than 20,000 rock etchings are found inside the Petroglyph National Monument northwest of town. Stop by the visitor center to determine which of three viewing trails - in different sections of the park - best suits your schedule and hiking ability. Boca Negra, which has petroglyphs dating back 3000 years, works well if you're short on time. Note: smash-and-grab thefts have been reported at some trailhead parking lots, so don't leave valuables in your vehicle. Head west on I-40 across the Rio Grande and take exit 154 north.
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