Following the arrival of Spaniards in the region, La Bajada stood as the dividing line between New Mexico’s primary economic and governmental districts: the Río Abajo (lower river) and the Río Arriba (upper river). The routes built to cross La Bajada between 15 follow precontact pathways across the mesa, indicating its importance to native cultures who utilized natural topography, grade changes and drainage systems to best utilize the mesa top. It provides an awesome perspective on the great lengths-and heights-that El Camino Real travelers trod on their epic journey.īeyond its importance as a geological landmark, La Bajada escarpment is a major cultural landmark. Appropriately known as La Bajada (The Descent), the overlook is one of New Mexico’s most spectacular natural landmarks. Archeological evidence points to new tools and resources introduced after European contact.īy far, the mesa’s most defining feature is at its southwest edge, where the volcanic escarpment upon which the mesa sits towers 600 feet high over the plains below. The vast open space reveals precontact stone piles from early agricultural grids that demonstrate how native cultures creatively engineered the area’s natural resources to raise successful crops. Gently sloping approximately six miles northeast to southwest, La Bajada Mesa intersects with Interstate 25 about 10 miles southwest of Santa Fe. The beauty of the view from the mesa top, however, is well worth the effort. Only the best prepared, and most adventurous, modern-day trekkers will want to take on the black basalt backcountry of La Bajada.
They chose the most difficult route of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro to enter or depart the New Mexico capital of Santa Fe.īecause of its remote and rugged locale, La Bajada Mesa is among the best preserved and historically significant sections of El Camino Real today, with well-worn tracks, swales and other reminders of travelers past etched permanently into the landscape.
The travelers who braved wind and other weather to climb and cross the formidable mesa between the 17th and 19th centuries were equally determined. Historic postcard of the "Automobile Road on La Bajada Hill." Public DomainĪ frigid wind powers across the juniper-studded grassland plain of La Bajada Mesa, fiercely determined to make its final destination.
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