Near Lamy in Santa Fe County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Galisteo Basin / Southern Rockies
Galisteo Basin
The extensive lowland south of here is called Galisteo basin, a sag in the earth’s crust where rock layers are depressed and thickened. It is one of the northernmost basins in the Basin and Range province in New Mexico and is bordered by the Rocky Mountains immediately to the north. Elevation 6,400 feet.
Southern Rockies
These foothills and the higher glaciated peaks to the north are the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains. This particular segment is known as the Sangre de Cristo (“blood of Christ”), a formidable barrier that rises above 13,000 feet in a chain of peaks that trend from Santa Fe on the south to Salida, Colorado, on the north.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Natural Features.
Location. 35° 28.23′ N, 105° 54.255′ W. Marker is near Lamy, New Mexico, in Santa Fe County. Marker is at the intersection of U.S. 285 at milepost 290 and Old Lamy Trail (County Road 33), on the right when traveling south on U.S. 285. On right-of-way adjacent to Dukeminier Ranch (near Thornton Ranch). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lamy NM 87540, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Galisteo Pueblo (approx. 5.7 miles away); Route 66 (approx. 6½ miles away); Cañoncito at Apache Canyon (approx. 6.9 miles away); Seton Village (approx. 9.4 miles away); Glorieta Pass Battlefield (approx. 10.9 miles away); Colorado Volunteers at the Battles of Glorieta Pass (approx. 11.2 miles away); Kearny's Gap Bridge (approx. 13½ miles away); Mexican Colonial House (approx. 13.6 miles away).
Also see . . . Galisteo Basin Preserve. “For approximately 100 years, beginning around 1400, the Southern Tewa were challenged by Diné-speaking peoples—warriors from Apache and Navajo tribes that raided and deeply stressed the Tewas’ resources and sense of security. In the mid to late 1500s, Spanish explorers (or conquistadors) from Mexico journeyed north to New Mexico in search of gold and other treasure. In their wake, the Spanish brought deadly disease and new hardship on the struggling southern Tewa peoples. By 1600, the Spanish were in the Galisteo Basin to stay—introducing longhorn cattle and unknown crops like watermelon, wheat, chiles, and melons to the region. The Spanish also began mining silver in the Cerrillos Hills around 1581.” (Submitted on May 12, 2012.)
Additional keywords. geography, geology
Credits. This page was last revised on November 23, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 12, 2012. This page has been viewed 995 times since then and 49 times this year. Last updated on November 22, 2020, by Arlo James Barnes of Lamy, New Mexico. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on May 12, 2012, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.