Aztec, NM (10/11 through 10/13/2017)

Northwest New Mexico doesn't get a lot of publicity, and not a lot of people live here.  Farmington is the largest city with a population around 45,000 (and TWO WalMart Supercenters).  Smaller towns, such as Shiprock, Bloomfield and Aztec, range from 5000 to 8ooo in population.  Over the years, I've stayed in all these towns, this time choosing to stay in Aztec.

When the first European settlers arrived here, they found large abandoned communities left by the Anasazi Indians.  However, they mistakenly assumed the structures had been made by the Aztec people from Mexico.  Therefore, the largest is called Aztec Ruins (now a National Monument).  They even named the town after a culture that was never here.

The region is mostly high desert, although the San Juan River and its five tributaries run through here.  Several lakes, both natural and man-made can also be found here.  The topography is similar to that of Southeastern Utah, with lots of colorful rock formations and many, many canyons.  Indian ruins, both Anasazi and Navajo, are scattered about.

One reason for staying in Aztec is the large number of sandstone arches.  They claim to have more than 300 arches in the area, of which I've seen only a few.  Many can be accessed via dirt roads created by oil companies in their vast oil/gas fields.  Of course, oil company maintenance trucks are constantly on the roads, leaving them rough and rutted in many places.

Here are a few examples of the arches and other formations I visited on this trip.

Having toured most of the larger Anasazi ruins in past years, I wanted to check out the Crow Canyon Archeological Sites that contain both Anasazi and Navajo ruins and petroglyphs.  Getting to Crow Canyon involves a forty-mile drive (each way), much of it over the Original Spanish Trail.  Many oil fields have been developed along this road, meaning that oil company trucks have created a huge "wash board" on it.  Still, it is reassuring to see how much oil resource exists in the country today, so I'll put up with rough roads.

The drive follows Largo Wash, mostly dry this time of year, but it obviously carries a lot of water during Spring thaw.  It ranges from 50 to 200 feet across, and I wouldn't be crossing it when its flowing strong.  The cottonwoods along its banks are nearing peak Fall color.

The first site, both ruins and art, is easy to get to since the road goes within 100 yards.  I'm not sure which culture built the dwelling, but the art is mostly Navajo (with some more modern graffiti added).

The remaining art panels, including the famous "44 panel", are just a bit tougher.  From the parking area, a trail sign says it is .8 mile.  However, while hiking in a sandy wash, I spotted a small sign with an arrow clearly indicating (to me, at least) that the trail continues up canyon.  I finally reached the end of the canyon and started back, trying a side canyon where there were footprints.  Apparently, someone else had passed the trail marker and walked an extra mile or two. 

There really was no trail at the sign, just bushwhack through thick sagebrush and juniper, with a rise of some fifty feet to the base of the cliffs.  I will say these petroglyphs, mostly Navajo, are much different than all I've seen at Anasazi sites.  I'm sure you can see the differences.