Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument - Mountainair Headquarters Visitor Center

"I visited Grand Quivara, one of 3 sites of Salinas National Monument. Fascinating, extensive ruins of a fairly large community. One of the most interesting aspects is that there are Spanish churches and Native American kivas right next to each other. It was a major trading center of the Plains and Pueblo Indians when the Spanish came in the 1600s. The Spanish enslaved the Native Americans and forced them to build the Catholic churches and to provide food for the Spanish. The Spanish also forced the Native Americans to accept the Catholic religion, so those who continued to worship the Indian gods were forced to go underground, literally. After 50 years, all food stores were gone, and the Gran Quivara site was eventually abandoned. In 1680, the New Mexico pueblos rose up against the Spanish and revolted, and the Spanish were forced out of Northern New Mexico for a while. The Native Americans never moved back to Grand Quivira. Due to federal government cuts, the staff at the on site Visitor Center has been fired, but bathrooms are available. It's a 2-hour drive from Albuquerque to get there, but worth every second. The location is in good shape and really, really interesting. I recommend that you follow your visit up with a visit to the Salinas National Monument Visitor Center in Mountainair, about 25 miles away, to learn more about the Monument."

"We stopped by this visitors center on our way south and visited Grand Quivara in the middle of December. The visitors center was a great prep for Grand Quivara. The young man behind the counter was able to guide us to the locations and suggested the short video. The video was great. While the visitors center was small, they had a good selection of books and I appreciated that when we bought 3 books, we were given a discount."

"This was a day trip. We are always looking for adventures that we can do in one day. These ruins didn't disappoint. The park was closed today but we were able to walk the grounds and through the ruins. They were hauntingly beautiful."

"Small museum with ~ 15 min film. 3 different pueblos (intact ruins) within 30 minutes or less to each."

"The ruins represent an interesting chapter in the history of western USA. The stonework used to create the mission, all done by hand, is intricate and complex. And to think it was all coveted over with plaster! Follow the paved paths around the site for a better understanding of the missions story. The visitor center was closed, however the center in Mountainair was open with a very knowledgable ranger to answer questions. There is a nice picnic area so take a lunch."