El Morro National Monument in New Mexico

West of Albuquerque, a detour off of I-40 onto Highway 53, will take you to an impressive geological formation. El Morro is a cuesta, a long formation gently sloping upward, then dropping off abruptly at one end. The land is made up of sandstone layers deposited by wind, desert streams and an ancient sea.

We walked around the base of El Morro that you can see in this picture.

When we first saw El Morro from the highway, we weren't sure we would be able to get close to it, but you can get within a couple of feet of the rock face on the trail, walk around the base and climb up to the top.

Petroglyphs and carvings on the rock date from several hundred years ago until 1906 when Federal law prohibited further carving.


The Zuni Indians, whose Puebloan ancestors lived here called it Atsinna --place of writings on the rock. The Spanish called it El Morro --The Headland, and the Anglo-Americans called it Inscription Rock. Over the centuries those who traveled this trail stopped to camp at the shaded oasis beneath the cliffs.

Snow melt and rain run off to form this pond at the base of El Morro. Although the level of water drops during dry periods, it never dries up and is not fed from underground springs. Travelers on the ancient trade route relied on El Morro's source of water.

The air here was fragrant from the evergreen shrubs and trees.







The Puebloans, ingenious farmers of the high desert, were master builders. The Atsinna Pueblo dates from about 1275 and was home to between 1,000 and 1,500 people. This link takes you to a picture on another website that shows the top of El Morro.   View from on top of El Morro

Information from the brochure El Morro National Monument
HC61, Box 43, Ramah, NM 87321- 9603