Pecos National Historical Park: What to See, Do and Know Before You Go
In the high desert of northern New Mexico, Pecos National Historical Park offers a fascinating opportunity to walk through more than 7,000 years of history. Once home to a thriving Pueblo community, the site preserves the ruins of a vast village, a Spanish mission, and ceremonial kivas that reveal the deep cultural traditions of the Pecos people. The park also tells the story of Spanish colonization, the blending of cultures, and the struggles that shaped the American Southwest.
What to do at Pecos National Historical Park
My wife and I visited the park in the late afternoon in early summer. It was a gorgeous day outside, deep blue skies dotted with scattered puffy white clouds. The parking lot only had a few cars when we arrived.
Visitor Center
The first thing we did was head into the visitor center. It was really well done! Several museum-quality exhibits explained the area’s long and rich cultural history. Displays explained what life was like here for hundreds of years, from the early pueblos, to the Spanish Colonization, the Comanche in the 1700s, to the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad.
Ancestral Sites Trail
After filling our water bottles and generously applying sunscreen, we headed out of the VC to hike the Ancestral Sites Trail. The hike is a 1.25-mile loop and relatively flat. It starts right behind the visitor center.
There are 16 interpretive stops along the route. Shortly after leaving the visitor center, we came to the first stop.
Pecos: The Early Years – Stop 1
Signs provide a brief history of the area. Pecos means “the place above the water.” At its peak, as many as 2,000 people lived in a thriving village at Pecos. It was a trading place for Plains Apache, Comanche, and Navajo.
In the fall of 1540, a Spanish expedition led by Francisco Vazquez de Coronado arrived in search of Quivira, the rumored legendary city of gold. The city was a myth, but the lives of the Pecos people would be forever changed by Spanish colonization.
The Mission – Stop 2
At stop number 2, you get a nice view from a distance of the last of the four adobe mission churches built at Pecos by the Spanish over the course of 100 years. The first church was built around 1617, and the last was completed roughly a century later in 1717.
The City Limits – Stop 3
As you continue up the paved path, you reach the 3rd stop, a rock wall that served as the de facto boundary of the city —its city limits. The plains and the surrounding forest would have been where traders slept while doing business at Pecos.
South Pueblo – Stop 4
The path follows the inside of the boundary wall until you get to the remnants of the South Pueblo on the left. Archaeologists believe that because of the South Pueblo’s proximity to the mission, it is likely that those who lived here were more closely aligned with the Spanish.
Two-thirds of the South Pueblo remain in an unevacuated mound towards the mission.
Pueblo Ceremonial Kiva – Stop 5
The fifth stop along the trail was a highlight for my wife and me. It’s a reconstructed kiva. This is a place where pueblo people performed ceremonies. Pecos Pueblo has more than 20 kivas, all of which share similar features. 1) An entrance through the covered roof, which was also doubled as a chimney. 2) A ventilation shaft allows fresh air into the room. 3) A fire pit. 4) A shield to prevent the fire from drafts. 5) Many kivas had a small hole in the floor called a sipapu, which symbolized the Pueblo’s people’s coming from the underworld.
You are allowed to climb a wooden ladder down into the kiva, which was really cool. As you can see from the photos above, all the Kiva features are listed. It was also a refreshing break from the relentless sun; down in the Kiva, it felt 15 to 20 degrees cooler
Heading up the trail to the next stop, you pass a couple of other kivas along the way before you get to the sixth stop.
The Trash Mound – Stop 6
One man’s trash is an archaeologist’s treasure. Scientists excavated a 20-foot-high mound that served as a trash site. Sifting through centuries of trash gave them a much better understanding of how people lived at Pecos.
Moving down the path towards the next stop, there was a sign warning about rattlesnakes in the area and asking you to report them if you see them.
The Pecos Pueblo – Stop 7
After rounding a bend, we came to stop 7, which details a day in the life of the once mighty Pecos North Pueblo. You can see the remnants of a kiva before you at this stop, but you have to use your imagination to see what was once here.
In the 1400s, Pecos was one of the largest and strongest peuvlos in the region. A massive quadrangle with more than 600 rooms once towered above this spot four and five stories in places. At the top of the mound near the interpretive sign, you are standing roughly where levels three to four would have been.
Living at Pecos – Stop 8
The next stop, stop 8, discusses what it was like to make a living here and why the area was so successful for so long. The main reason is water. There are two reliable sources of water nearby: Glorieta Creek just below us and the Pecos River a mile east.
Despite the short growing season at 6,900 feet of elevation, the access to water made farming attainable. They did not exclusively depend on agriculture, however. They also hunted elk and other game, raised turkeys, and foraged for wild food sources.
The Spanish Presence – Stop 9
The Franciscan priest who arrived with the Spanish brought incredible change to the Pecos Pueblo. Stop nine discusses how priests assigned to Pecos had only one goal. Teach the natives how to become Catholic subjects of the Spanish empire.
To achieve this goal, they built a mission, relying on Native labor for the enormous complexes.
From this stop, you can see the mission and start walking towards it.
Two Mission Churches’ One View – Stop 10
At the next stop along the trail, you get a great view of two churches. When the Spanish arrived to set up a permanent mission here, Pecos was the largest and most powerful pueblo in northern New Mexico.
From here, you can see remnants of the changes the Spanish brought, the ruins of two churches built 100 years apart. To the right, the foundation of the 1625 is visible—to the left, the large church walls of the 1717 mission. Both of which were called Mission of Our Lady of the Angels of Purciuncula.
The Porter’s Lodge – Stop 11
The next stop is about the Porter’s Lodge, which is where the mission’s reception area and official business were conducted.
The Last Church – Stop 12
After years of oppression and epidemics that killed many, the Pueblo revolt in 1680 was successful in expelling the Spanish from Pecos. They would destroy the mission, which was seen as a symbol of Spanish power.
The newfound independence was short-lived. The Spanish returned 12 years later, and built the last church here, which was completed in 1717. The towering orange walls remain.
The Heart of the Convento – Stop 13
As you walk through the ruins of the mission, you come to a flagstone patio. This is original to the first church.
Ramada and Torreon – Stop 14
As you continue walking, you pass what was the granary on your way to the ramada. You will see small stone rings on your right. These are where builders set posts in the ground to support the ramada’s roof. This would have been one of the first structures built.
To the right, you see what is left of a D-shaped torreon, or watch tower. This was built about 150 years after the ramada to help protect against Comanche raids in the 1700s.
Adobe Preservation – Stop 15
The next-to-last stop is all about Adobe Preservations. Walls made of adobe bricks quickly erode without protection. The National Park Service protects the original adobe walls of the church and convento by encasing them in new adobe brick veneers.
At this stop, you also see a kiva in the convento. It was very uncommon to see a kiva within the walls of the mission. It’s believed this kiva was built before the Pueblo revolt, sometime between 1620 and 1640.
Why it is here may never be fully understood. Perhaps the Franciscan priest thought it would be easier to teach Catholicism in a structure the Pecos people were already used to for learning about religion.
There are only two other kivis known to be within the mission convento, making the one at Pecos exceedingly rare and interesting.
Mission Economy – Stop 16
The rock walls in this area were likely used to house mission livestock, such as sheep, pigs, and cattle.
The last of the Pecos people left the area in 1838, moving to the Pueblo of Jemez.
Glorieta Pass Battlefield
Beyond its ancient heritage, Pecos is also a site of more recent history. The park includes the Glorieta Pass Battlefield, where Union and Confederate troops clashed in 1862 during the Civil War, a battle often called the “Gettysburg of the West.” Visitors can explore trails that wind through the battlefield, gaining insight into the conflict’s impact on the region.
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Pecos National Historical Park. It’s not often you get to walk through and immerse yourself in more than 400 years of history. If you are traveling through the area or live in nearby Albuquerque or Santa Fe, make time to check out this amazing, historic park.
Other Places to Explore Spanish Missions and History
- California – Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
- Florida – San Marcos de Apalache State Park
- Louisiana – Los Adaes State Historic Site – The Former Spanish Capitol of Texas.
- Texas – The Alamo
- Texas – Mission Concepcion San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
