El Morro

Today we visited El Morro. It is located about 42 miles south of Grants on Highway 53. El Morro means "headland" or "bluff". The first historical record of El Morro was in 1583 when the Espejo Spanish expedition stopped here for water. From then on many of the expeditions passing here stopped for water and inscribed their names and dates on the sandstone.

The remains of the buildings on top are called the A'ts'ina village. The place was occupied during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Why it was abandoned is unknown.

The water hole that drew the traveler to this place. It is usually about 12 feet deep.

View of El Morro from the entrance road.

One of the many writings on the walls of El Morro. Translated it reads "On the 25th of the month of June, of this year of 1709, passed by here on the way to Zuni - Ramon Garcia Jurado"

In 1728 he was the "alcalde mayor" of the Keres district, not far south of Santa Fe.

Seep hole in the rock. Rain water running down cracks in the rock come out small holes in the side of the mesa. The water seeping out of the opening gradually wears away the rock.

View of a distant mesa which is composed of the same rock as El Morro. The brighter colors are caused by thin films of iron oxide around the sand grains, which are not present at El Morro. The lack of water around it kept the early travelers from stopping there.
For further information go to this link. http://www.nps.gov/elmo/