April 2018 – Whitworth and I

History is alive and present — and reverberating — through the Piedra Lumbre region of Northern New Mexico.

Pass that invisible demarcation line that is somewhere between Bode’s General Store in Abiquiu and the western limit of the Rio Chama’s red rock canyon and you come out into the open wild state of mind and landscape of the Piedra Lumbre.

A trio of interpretive panels present the geology and plants and animals of the canyon.

One place where the beauty, wildness and human history of the region comes together is Echo Amphitheate. Located 17 miles west of Abiquiu (4 miles past Ghost Ranch) in Carson National Forest, it is a natural amphitheater carved out of the southeastern edge of the Colorado Plateau over thousands of years by wind, water, and fluctuating temperatures.

The cliffs high above Echo Amphitheater where two hawks keep silent vigil.

Long a meeting spot for the various tribes that passed through the area and where Puebloan orators once practiced their skills, it also features in more recent history. In 1966 it’s the spot where a group of valientes briefly reclaimed lands of the San Joaquin de Rio Chama Grant from the federal government.

It’s a relatively easy walk from the parking area into the bowl of the amphitheater. The path is paved and steps take you the last bit where you are nearly under the edge of the cliff.

Deep inside the bowl swallows surf the air and even a whisper whispers back. It’s well worth the stop — if you’re ever in the back of the beyond that is the Piedra Lumbre.

LINKS:

Echo Amphitheater, Carson National Forest, between Abiquiu and Tierra Amarillo, NM

Valley of Shining Stone: the story of Abiquiu, by Lesley Poling-Kempes (public library)

Macabre legends about the staining on the rocks at Echo Amphitheater persist — you can read about that here: Canon Retumbido – Echo Amphitheater

Two or three miles before you reach Abiquiu, NM, heading north on Highway 84, you’ll see a U.S. Forest Service parking lot on your left. Take the time to stop — it’s the jumping off place for a really great hike into ancient pueblo history.

The mesa top 150 ft above the parking lot is the site of Poshuouinge, the ruins of a large pueblo likely occupied from about 1375 to 1475 and abandoned well before the Spanish ever arrived in the area we know as New Mexico.

A trail leaves the parking area and switchbacks up the side of the mesa then sets off across the wide flat area, skirting the actual site of the pueblo. Multiple signs warn you against hiking into the area the pueblo once occupied.

A series of small interpretive panels along the trail describe what the pueblo looked like and what life was like for Poshuouinge residents — based on excavations and artifacts collected during the early 20th century.

Continue walking along the main trail. It leads up the hill on the south side of the ruins to a bench and ramada about halfway up. It’s a good vantage point from which to imagine the pueblo’s two large plazas and hundreds of rooms, the gardens outside the walls and down by the river — and all the people.

The trail continues on to the very (very) top of the hill. From the top — a spot that must have been a favorite for lookouts all those centuries ago — the view stretches north across the Rio Chama to the distant mountains. Down below quite clearly is the ghostly outline of the Po-shu ruins.

Month: April 2018

Echo Amphitheater – listening in on the Piedra Lumbre

History is alive and present — and reverberating — through the Piedra Lumbre region of Northern New Mexico.

Traces of an Ancient Pueblo on the Road to Abiquiu