NEW MEXICO, DAY 2: PETROGLYPHS, LAS GOLONDRINAS RANCH, AND LUNCH

 June 26, 2021

Our second day in New Mexico was going to be another hot day, so we tried to get an early start, We arrived at Petroglyph National Monument at 8:50 AM. As it didn't open until 8:30, that wasn't bad.

We spent our time in the Boca Negra ("Black Mouth") Canyon, a 70-acre section of the park with many of the most easily accessed highlights. We started with Mesa Point, a .3-mile climb up this basalt hill. (It was harder than it looks.)

One of my favorite petroglyphs was right next the the trail head. It looks like it has been enhanced, or perhaps it is the modern recreation of an ancient petroglyph. There are supposed to be many of these spirals--which are associated with wind, water, spiritual emergence, and one's journey through life--throughout the Southwest.

"Breathtaking" has a very literal meaning when you are hiking up a steep hill in warm weather.

Most of the petroglyphs were caved into the boulders by American Indians and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago, although some of the 24,000 petroglyphs in the park are as old as 2,000 or 3,000 years.

The Pueblo people made images like the one below by chiseling away the thin exterior layer of desert varnish on a basalt rock, which exposed the lighter color of the rock's interior. I can understand why some UFO enthusiasts see petroglyphs as evidence of extraterrestrial visits.

The path winds its way past numerous glyphs.

Regular terrestrial life is strange too. Check out this big millipede.

From the top of the Mesa Point Trail we could see the 10,600+-foot-tall Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande valley.

A few more petroglyphs from our way back down:

Likely a Spanish contribution

A pig?

The petroglyphs were fun, but we weren't really that impressed. We have seen some that are much more accessible and just as interesting in Corn Springs, California, a couple of hours from our house. Besides, it was getting hotter and there was no cloud cover or shade. We decided to hike Macaw Trail and then call it quits. Luckily, the Macaw trail is only 178 feet long. Yeah, we were that lazy.

This macaw at the top of the boulder is one of the more famous petroglyphs in the park, and it we did think it was pretty awesome. Macaws are not native to this area but were probably brought in for trade because of their colorful feathers, which were valued for ornamentation.

Next stop: El Rancho de las Golondrinas, or The Ranch of the Swallows. During the 1700s it was a historic rancho on the Camino Real (The Royal Road connecting Mexico City and Santa Fe). Today it is a living history museum.

Hmmmm. Not a good sign.

We had to go through the gift shop on our way in, and I loved that they were selling this Southwestern American Girls Doll named Josefina. She is a beauty.

A re-created adobe home shows the way the early settlers lived.

Probably my favorite thing at the rancho is this small chapel. 

This is the top piece on the retable behind the altar: The Trinity.

My favorite panels include this one of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, perhaps on their way to Egypt? Note that the donkey is looking at the swaddled Baby Jesus.

Of course, the Virgin of Guadalupe puts in an appearance, but so do the Spanish settlers, whose cow is being cared for by an angel.

Carved wooden figures on the altar itself echo the theme of divine protection. Note the little angel on the left.

A beautiful piece of needlework hanging next to the altar also shows an angel flying over the farmer's yoke of oxen. Soli Deo Gloria means "Glory to God Alone."

A pen made of wooden poles is next to the living quarters. I'll bet those sheep get hot in those heavy fur coats.

Every village needs an apothecary. I'm glad I didn't live during the time when people took Worm Syrup.

Beautiful craftsmanship on this old door.

An assortment of punched-tin lighting fixtures adorns a ceiling beam.

Wait . . . I said the chapel was my favorite part, but I forgot about the stocks. 

There are lots of roads to walk on. This shady lane was appealing.

Early 18th-century sculpture?

It looks like the volunteers must also work the farm, but mostly we saw them standing around in period costume.

This must be what happens if they work out in the mid-day heat.

In many of the places we visited we were past the cactus blooming season, but there were some beauties at Las Golondrinas Ranch!

Time for lunch. Bob had scouted out a restaurant called Maria's New Mexican Kitchen, located in Santa Fe. For some reason we did not see that driveway on the right that led to the parking lot in the back, so we parked across the street in a grocery store parking lot.

Maria's has been operating since 1950 in an old adobe loaded with atmosphere. Shortly after we arrived, the place filled up and had another 20 people waiting to be seated.

Our first course was very good guacamole made tableside.

Bob ordered a virgin margarita mango drink that was icy but bland.

He also had veggie fajitas that he says were "okay."

I had a combo plate with a beef taco, a pork tamale, an unbreaded chile relleno, and a breaded one. It came with beans, Spanish rice . . . 

. . . and the best sopapilla I have ever had. It was a light, air-filled puff that was a bit like a cream puff but less eggy. If I go back I'll skip the main course and eat of meal of these.