NMCentennialBlueBook

coronaDo StatE MonUMEnt
i-25, exit 242, north hwy 550 (1.7 miles to kuaua Road)
485 kuaua Road
Bernalillo, NM 87004
(505) 867-5351 FAX: (505) 867-1733
toll FREE: 1-800-419-3738
the monument is named after Francisco Vasquez de coronado who is thought to have camped
near this site with his soldiers in 1540 while searching for the fabled Seven cities of Gold.
Abandoned near the end of the 16th century, the site includes the partially reconstructed ruins of
the ancient tiwa Pueblo of kuaua occupied from 1300Ad. An interpretive trail winds through
the site leading to a reconstructed kiva that was excavated by archaeological teams led by dr.
Edgar lee hewett in the 1930s revealing many decorated layers that are considered to be the
finest example of pre-contact mural art in North America with several on display today. Native
American and Spanish colonial artifacts are on display in the John Gaw Meem designed Visitor
center and an interactive discovery center room for children.
EL caMino rEaL intErnationaL HEritaGE cEntEr
highway i-25, exit 115, (30 miles south of Socorro), east to hwy 1 frontage road, south
1.5 miles, turn east at mile marker 24 onto county Road 1598, 3 miles east to the center.
P.o. Box 175
Socorro, NM 87801
(575) 854-3600 FAX: (575) 854-3609
El camino Real de tierra Adentro was the first road into North America that led to the
European settlement of the New World. known as the Royal Road or king’s highway, it
forever altered the face of the American Southwest. the center, opened on November
19, 2005, and features indoor and outdoor exhibits, interpretive trails, gardens and other
educational activities celebrating the contributions of this colorful trail leading into the region.
El camino international heritage center is operated in partnership with the Bureau of land
Management and supported by El camino Real international center Foundation.
Fort SELDEn StatE MonUMEnt
i-25, exit 19, 13 miles north of las cruces
P.o. Box 58
Radium Springs, NM 88054
(575) 526-8911 FAX: (575) 647-0421
toll FREE: 1-800-429-9488
As one of several military forts built to protect settlers and travelers in the aftermath of the
civil War, Fort Selden was established in 1865 to protect settlers and travelers in the Mesilla
Valley from desperados and Apaches in an effort to bring peace to the region. Several of the
units stationed at the Fort were African American troopers, referred to as Buffalo Soldiers. A
young douglas MacArthur called the Fort home while his father was post commander in the
late 1880s. By 1890 criminals and raiding parties were no longer a threat and the Fort was
abandoned in 1891. A visitor center offers exhibits on frontier and military life with extensive
adobe ruins that surround the parade grounds.
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