Near Mountainair in Torrance County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Village of Quarai
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Pueblo de Quaral
Photographed by James Hulse, April 10, 2025
1. Village of Quarai / Pueblo de Quaral Marker
Imagine the flat ground you see ahead as a busy square, surrounded on three sides by blocks of stone houses three stories high. Some 600 southern Tiwa people hunted and farmed this area, trading their goods and salt gathered from nearby lakebeds in the plazas of Quarai. The low grass-covered mounds you see are all that remains of the 17th-century Tiwa town.The first blocks of houses here were built about 1300. Evidence also shows that the town stood empty from about 1400 to the 1500s. And there was a flurry of new construction shortly before the Spaniards arrived in the early 1600s.
Imagine el terreno plano que usted ve adelante como una plaza activa, rodeada en tres de sus lados por cuadras de casas de piedra de tres pisos de altura. En el siglo XVII, unos 600 tiwas cazaron y cultivaron esta área. Intercambiaron sus bienes y sal, recolectada de los lechos de lagos vecinos, en las plazas de Quarai. Los montículos bajos - ya cubiertos de vegetación - que ven ahí son todo lo que quedan del pueblo tiwa.
Se construyeron las primeras casas de Quarai en el siglo XIV. Las pistas arqueológicas también muestran que el poblado permaneció vacío durante el siglo XV. Luego brotaron construcciones nuevas poco antes que llegaron los españoles a inicios del siglo XVII.
Erected by Salinas
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Hispanic Americans • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1300.
Location. 34° 35.732′ N, 106° 17.8′ W. Marker is near Mountainair, New Mexico, in Torrance County. It is on Manzano Quari Road one mile west of New Mexico Route 55. The marker is located on the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument - Quarai Unit. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 122 Manzano Quari Rd, Mountainair NM 87036, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Albuquerque. It is also in the American Southwest. 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: 1830 Church / Iglesia de 1830 (a few steps from this marker); Administration of Souls / Administración de almas
Photographed by James Hulse, April 10, 2025
2. The Village of Quarai and Marker
Also see . . . Salt, Societies, and Spirituality: A Tale of Diverse Cultures. Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
Tucked away in the middle of New Mexico you’ll find Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. Its three distinct sites offer a glimpse into a unique time in history—a time entrenched with cultural borrowing, conflict and struggles. These sites continue to stand as reminders of the Spanish and Pueblo peoples’ early encounters and prompt exploration of today’s interactions among different people.(Submitted on June 7, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed by James Hulse, April 10, 2025
3. Closeup of the Pueblo de Quaral
Photographed by James Hulse, April 10, 2025
4. Inside view of the Pueblo de Quaral
Credits. This page was last revised on June 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 113 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 9, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
