16TH-18TH CENTURY
HISTORICAL-SITE PANORAMAS
Mission San Juan Capistrano, Pecos & the Pecos River, Salinas Pueblo Missions, San Miguel Mission
Pre-Columbian / 16th-18th Century / 19th Century / 20th Century
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PECOS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, NEW MEXICO
The land shown in these photos lies in a natural pass between mountains. For centuries, it served as a crossroads where Native American traders interacted with locals in population centers. When the Spanish arrived, they built churches in areas where people already were living.
The Pecos Mission, shown here, dates from 1717. The Salinas Pueblo Missions shown in the separate section below are 100 miles to the south and were built about a century earlier.
This historical park also protects the site of a Civil War battle. Between March 26-28, 1862, Union and Confederate troops fought the Battle of Glorieta Pass in what was then the New Mexico Territory. The area is now accessible off I-25, which runs through Glorieta Pass east of Santa Fe, just like the old Native American path that it follows.
PECOS RIVER (Río Pecos), NEW MEXICO
The scenic Pecos River begins high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico, the southernmost range of the Rockies. It was named for the Pecos Mission (photos above). Parts of the Pecos River are now a designated wild and scenic river.
After leaving Texas, the Pecos meanders along its way to the Rio Grande. That made it a convenient passageway for Spanish explorers of the 16th Century, as shown in the photo below from Villanueva State Park, which lies along the Pecos.
- See some of Martha’s photos of the Pecos River (in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains north of I-25)
- See some of Martha’s photos of Villanueva State Park (south of I-25)
MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIFORNIA
Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded in 1776 as the 7th of 21 Spanish missions spread across California. It’s long been famous for the annual migration of swallows that arrive from South America in the spring, but it’s also notable for having been heavily damaged by two earthquakes in December 1812. These days, it’s beautifully restored with evocative structures and colorful gardens. It’s a moving place to visit.
SAN MIGUEL MISSION CHURCH, NEW MEXICO
This exquisite little chapel in the heart of Santa Fe, New Mexico dates from around 1610, making it the longest-standing church in the continental USA. Franciscan padres designed it, but Tlaxcalan indios who had traveled north from Mexico with the Spanish conquistadores were the ones who actually built it.
The original adobe structure with broad buttresses in the rear was partially destroyed several times, including in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, but repairs over the following centuries have kept it intact. Still in use, it’s a beloved part of today’s Santa Fe.
SALINAS PUEBLO MISSIONS NATIONAL MONUMENT, NEW MEXICO
(See the separate section below.)
SALINAS PUEBLO MISSIONS NATIONAL MONUMENT, NEW MEXICO
(Fills this entire section.)
central New Mexico, near Mountainair
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Abó Mission (officially Mission of San Gregorio de Abó), built 1621- 1629
The Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument combines three amazing colonial missions: Abó, Gran Quivira, and Quarai. With today’s roads, they are relatively close to one another, but when they were built by Spanish missionaries in the 17th Century they would have seemed quite far apart.
The National Park Service’s website says of this 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.”
Martha visited these sites over three days in October 2021, when the weather was just about perfect. Arriving early in the morning and returning for evening light, she enjoyed the moving experience of being all alone within these well-preserved historic buildings and on the trails around them. She made many more photos than can be shown here.
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Gran Quivira Mission, built 1635-1672
Quarai Mission, built 1627-1632
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