| the original state magazine
North Central Attractions and Travel Guide
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains dominate the North Central region of New Mexico and their imposing presence is intertwined with the many diverse cultures that flourish here.
Sangre de Cristo means "blood of Christ" in Spanish, and although
the name's origin is unclear, historians believe that Spanish penitentes
first began calling the moun
tains that in the 1800s — they likened the
red hues of the mountains at sunrise and sunset to Christ's blood. The
legendary penitente brotherhoods are devout Christians, usually of rural
communities, who secretly practice their faith and aid their fellow villagers
away from the formalities of the local Roman Catholic diocese.
Another major range in the region is the Jémez Mountains, which are volcanic
in origin and considered sacred and legendary to the people of Santa Clara,
San Ildefonso and San Juan pueblos, as well as Jémez and Zia pueblos to
the south. Geologists believe the Jémez range once was one of the largest
volcanoes on the North American continent prior to its collapse after a
series of eruptions about a million years ago. Other pueblos in the region
include Tesuque, Pojoaque and Nambé, which also pay sacred homage to the
Sangre de Cristos.
The ore-rich Ortiz Mountains and Cerrillos Hills south of Santa Fe were originally mined by the ancestors of the Santo Domingo Pueblo people who took turquoise from deep pits they dug by hand. Spanish colonists and later American prospectors also tried their luck for gold and silver here.
New Mexico's capital city, Santa Fe, sits in the North Central region.
Residents call
this historic place the City Different. Many American travelers
on the Santa Fe Trail wrote of their great anticipation to arrive at this
exotic place but then they were disappointed to find only houses made out
of mud. Today the City Different is highly prosperous in its rich forms
of art and culture, and many American and international visitors still
succumb to its exotic allure.
North from Santa Fe is the High Road to Taos. Along the way is the legendary Santuario de Chimayó, famous for its miraculous healing earth and Good Friday pilgrimages. Also in Taos is the majestic, multistoried Taos Pueblo, quite deserving of its designation as a World Heritage Site.
Farther north is the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Chama, which satisfies the railroad buff's appetite for living iron legends. To the northeast is Angel Fire, where the Vietnam Veterans National Memorial is a powerful and touching tribute to those who served our country in that horrific war.
For more information on traveling in this area of the state, visit the regional tourism authority, North Central New Mexico, at www.newmexiconorth.com/.
North Central Cities: Abiquiu, Alcalde, Amalia, Arroyo Hondo, Arroyo Seco, Canjilon, Canones, Carson, Cebolla, Cerrillos, Cerro, Chama, Chamisal, Chimayo, Cordova, Costilla, Counselor, Coyote, Cundiyo, Dixon, Dulce, El Prado, El Rito, Embudo, Espanola, Fairview, Gallina, Glorieta, Gonzales Ranch, Hernandez, Jemez Springs, La Jara, La Madera, Lamy, Las Tablas, Lindrith, Llano, Los Alamos, Los Ojos, Lumberton, Madrid, McIntosh, Medanales, Ojo Caliente, Ojo Sarco, Pena Blanca, Penasco, Petaca, Pojoaque, Ponderosa, Questa, Ranchos De Taos, Red River, Regina, Rutherton, San Cristobal, San Ysidro, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Serafina, Stanley, Taos, Taos Ski Valley, Terrero, Tesuque, Tierra Amarilla, Trampas, Tres Piedras, Truchas, Vadito, Valdez, Vallecitos, Velarde, Village of Arroyo Seco, Youngsville