Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for new mexico
The Center of an Ancient World
By Linda Tancs
New Mexico’s ancestral Native American culture is the highlight of Chaco Culture National Historical Park, a World Heritage Site with the densest concentration of pueblos in the Southwest. During the ninth century, massive stone buildings known as great houses were constructed by the Chacoan people, influenced by lunar, solar and cardinal directions. This thriving ancient civilization is central to the origins of several Navajo clans and ceremonies. Equally as thrilling is the park’s designation as one of the world’s newest International Dark Sky Parks, which means that the site is a mecca for stargazers.
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The Hottest Show on Earth
By Linda Tancs
Now in its 25th year, the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show is taking place this weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico at Sandia Resort & Casino. The most visited show on the subject of spicy foods and barbecue, you’ll likely never see a bigger array of the country’s spicy sauces, marinades, salsas amd mustards. And you can be sure that palates will burn particularly bright during this anniversary year.
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Jémez History
By Linda Tancs
Some of the most impressive ruins in the Southwest are outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico. At the Jémez State Monument Heritage Area, a large pueblo in the narrow San Diego Canyon built by the ancestors of the present-day Jémez enchants visitors. The seven-acre site includes the ruins of San José de los Jémez, a large stone church built by missionaries in the 17th century, featuring an unusual octagonal bell tower and frescoes unearthed in the 1920s. Sunday admission is free for all New Mexico residents; senior citizens also enter free on Wednesdays.
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The Land of Enchantment
By Linda Tancs
New Mexico is a state in the southwestern U.S., a terrain of mountains, high plains and desert so captivating it earns its nickname as the land of enchantment. You’ll be sure to expand your horizons (literally speaking) with visits to places as diverse as the ancient Carlsbad Caverns, the white sand dunes at White Sands National Monument and the highest point at Wheeler Peak northeast of Taos. Learn more at Travelrific® Radio.
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Oldest Zoo in Southwest
By Linda Tancs
Established in 1898, the Alameda Park Zoo in Alamogordo, New Mexico is the oldest zoo in the U.S. Southwest. Open daily except for Christmas and New Year’s Day, the zoo has more than 12 acres and over 250 exotic and indigenous animals. Perhaps the most famous animal in the area is the one memorialized in nearby Lincoln National Forest, home of Smokey the Bear, known the world over for forest fire prevention. The wilds of the West are waiting for you.
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400 Years of Culture in Santa Fe
By Linda Tancs
New Mexico’s capital city of Santa Fe is celebrating its 400th anniversary all year long. So what’s in it for you? Plenty. Be inspired by the landscape often depicted by American painter Georgia O’Keeffe, whose works are exhibited in the city’s Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Nicknamed “The City Different,” Santa Fe is the product of centuries of co-existence among Native Americans, Spanish, Mexican, European and African Americans. For instance, Canyon Road was a route by which Native Americans brought their goods to trade with the Spanish settlers in the Plaza de Santa Fe, where the Spanish began to build their adobe homes in the 1750s. A fine example of adobe is the Palace of the Governors, which served as Spain’s seat of government for the entire Southwest region. In this city also stands North America’s oldest church, San Miguel Chapel, whose adobe walls were constructed around 1610. Another curiosity is the Loretto Chapel, drawing visitors the world over for its remarkable spiral staircase to the choir loft built without any visible means of support with nails or beams, considered a miracle by the convent’s Sisters of Loretto. Other attractions include world-renowned art galleries, marketplaces, and performance venues, accessible on foot or by city bus.
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Feeling the Heat in New Mexico
By Linda Tancs
With summertime heat gripping the northeastern U.S. these days, there’s no need to daydream about warm days and cool nights. But, hey, it’s only early spring so the day will come when the weather will match the calendar again. Then you might want to consider a dip in the 100-degree waters of Ojo Caliente, little more than an hour away from Santa Fe. The little town in New Mexico (population: 1000, give or take) lays claim to the country’s first natural spa, discovered in the 1500s by the Spaniards, who gave the place the name Ojo, or hot eye. Accommodations at the site range from garden variety hotel rooms to cliffside suites that won’t leave your wallet in tatters. So you can steep in the springs, not in the prices.
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The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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