Bernalillo in Sandoval County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Las Montañas
⎯⎯⎯
The Mountains
Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025
1. Las Montañas / The Mountains Marker
Las sierras sagradas Sandia y Manzano ofrecían muchos recursos para los Pueblos del Río Grande. Los enebros y los pinos crecían cerca de los picos. Se usaban los abetos para construir los tejados de los pueblos y las escaleras. También se podían encontrar alimentos como piñones y bayas ácidas del zumaque. Las montañas eran importantes para fines de defensa. Los Pueblos conocían las mejores fortalezas y escondites para evitar el ejército de Coronado en 1541 y 1542. Las sierras Sandia y Manzano todavía son importantes en la cultura Pueblo.
Seamos todos conscientes de nuestra responsabilidad de ser buenos administradores de la montaña y de estar atentos en nuestros esfuerzos para protegerla.
Subtítulos
(Foto #1) Una vista de las montañas Sandia desde el sitio histórico de Coronado, 1968. View of Sandia Mountains from Coronado Historic Site, 1968.
The sacred Sandia and Manzano mountains offered many resources for the Rio Grande Pueblos. Juniper and pine grew near the peaks; spruce trees were prized for making roofs and ladders. Foods included piñon nuts and the tangy berries of the three-leaf sumac. The mountains were also important for defense: the Pueblos knew the best strongholds and hiding places, where they took refuge from Coronado's army in 1541 and 1542. The Sandia and Manzano mountains remain significant in Pueblo culture today.
"Let us all be mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of the mountain and to be vigilant in our efforts to protect it."
Captions
(Photo #1) View of Sandia Mountains from Coronado Historic Site, 1968, Steven W. Donchue. Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico, PICT 2017-003-219
Erected by Coronado
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1541.
Location. 35° 19.773′ N, 106° 33.403′ W. Marker is in Bernalillo, New Mexico, in Sandoval County. It is on Kuaua Road half a mile east of U.S. 550. The marker is located in the Kuaua Ruins (Coronado Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 485 Kuaua Rd, Bernalillo NM 87004, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the San Juan Basin and in Greater Albuquerque. It is also in the American Southwest and at the Four Corners. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: El Bosque / The Bosque (here, next to this marker); Recursos del desierto / Desert Resources (here, next to this marker); Cultivos y animales no nativos / Non-Native Crops and Animals
Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025
2. The Mountains Marker (left side)
More about this marker. There is a small fee to visit the Kuaua Ruins (Coronado Historic Site).
Also see . . . Coronado Historic Site. New Mexico Historic Sites
Coronado Historic Site and the ancient Kuaua Pueblo are located just minutes north of Albuquerque (off of I-25, Exit 242) in Bernalillo. In 1540, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado—with 500 soldiers and 2,000 Indigenous allies from New Spain—entered the Rio Grande valley somewhere near this site. Coronado was searching for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold.(Submitted on May 28, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025
3. The view of the Rio Grande and Sandia Mountains
Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 103 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 28, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
