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Northwest Attractions and Travel Guide
Perhaps nowhere else in New Mexico is legend as prevalent as in the Northwest region. A good chunk of America's largest Indian reservation, the Navajo Nation, sits here, as do the Zuni, Acoma and Laguna pueblos as well as the Jicarilla Apache Nation.
With such an abundance of Native American culture, it is inevitable that
legends are going to be as much a part of the countryside as the majestic
landmarks themselves. The Northwest region is appropriately known as In
dian
Country.
It all began with the legendary Ancestral Pueblo civilizations that flourished at what are now Chaco Culture National Historical Park, the Aztec and Salmon ruins and a number of smaller community sites throughout the region. These relatively peaceful societies were keenly aware of their natural surroundings, especially the moon, the sun and the stars, and they constructed their impressive stone structures over the course of centuries in near-perfect alignment with the skyward paths of these celestial bodies.
The epic expedition of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado first encountered the native peoples at Hawikuh Pueblo, which is now known as Zuni Pueblo. This encounter between Europeans and Pueblo Indians began a legendary commingling of cultures not only in New Mexico but in the continental United States as well.
Nearly every major landmark in this region has some type of Native American
legend connected with it. There are native stories associated with Mount
Taylor Ship Rock Peak, El Malpais and Cabezòn Peak, as well as the Bisti
Wilderness Area
and the Chuska Mountains, to name a few.
Archaeologists believe that drought forced the Ancestral Pueblo people to eventually abandon the magnificent structures in search of wetter climes. But today, there's plenty of water around, especially at Navajo Lake State Park near Farmington, which is fed by the San Juan and Animas rivers. And the nearby Quality Waters on sections of the San Juan offer some of the best fly-fishing for trout found anywhere.
Even the Santa Fe Railway capitalized on Native American legend in this region. They borrowed heavily from the Indian culture for advertising to attract rail passengers to the West between the late 1800s to early 1970s, when Amtrak ultimately took over their rail lines.
In more modern times, the first major multistate highway, Route 66, achieved legendary status among motor travelers, who often recall the Northwest region as, perhaps, the memorable section of America's Mother Road.
For more information on traveling in Northwest New Mexico, visit the regional tourism authority, Indian Country New Mexico, at www.indiancountrynm.org/.
Northwestern Cities: Aztec, Blanco, Bloomfield, Bluewater, Brimhall, Casa Blanca, Church Rock, Continental Divide, Crownpoint, Farmington, Fence Lake, Flora Vista, Fort Wingate, Fruitland, Gallup, Gamerco, Grants, Jamestown, Kirtland, La Plata, Mentmore, Mexican Springs, Milan, Nageezi, Navajo, Navajo Dam, Navajo Indian Reservation, New Laguna, Newcomb, Northwest New Mexico, Paguate, Pinehill, Prewitt, Ramah, Rehoboth, San Fidel, San Mateo, San Rafael, Sanostee, Sheep Springs, Shiprock, Smith Lake, Thoreau, Tohatchi, Vanderwagen, Waterflow, Yah-Tah-Hey, Zuni