El Morro National Monument in western New Mexico, south of Gallup and east of Zuni, is a cuesta; a long sandstone formation with an upward slope that quickly drops away at one end. Wind, desert streams and ancient seas deposited sand over thousands of years gradually forming El Morro.

El Morro means "headland" in Spanish. This location held significance to the Anasazi Indians who, as hunters and gatherers, settled at El Morro 2,000 years ago and established their community in the 1200s. The site provided water, good crops and protection.

They were master builders and started with half buried pit houses which evolved into pueblos above ground. In 1275 A.D., they carved flat sedimentary rocks into slabs to construct circular kivas at El Morro. The existence of square kivas indicates the Anasazi were influenced by the Mogollon culture to the south. Their kivas serve as underground chambers for storage, gatherings and religious ceremonies.

An archaeological dig in 1955 excavated 10 rooms and two kivas; one round and one square. The six Zuni Indians on the dig called the area "Atsinnia" or "writings on the rock" because of drawings and inscriptions on the walls at the base.

It is estimated the Anasazi community consisted of 875 rooms with some measuring 200 by 300 feet supporting a population of 1,000-1,500 people. In order to survive the harsh climate with very little precipitation and a short growing season, the Anasazi developed complex irrigation systems. They grew corn, beans and squash in the fertile El Morro valley; hunted deer, elk, mountain sheep and gathered seeds, cactus fruits and pinion pine nuts.

Important archeological finds included hand-held grinding stones (manos) and stone slabs (metates). Anasazi women spent long hours grinding corn to make cakes and breads. Fire pits and small wall niches for personal possessions indicated occupied settlements. Small crevices in the sandstone collected rainwater and a large pool at the base of El Morro provided water.

By 1375 A.D. a prolonged drought, the over-cutting of timber required for their pueblos, flash floods, heat and soil erosion forced the Anasazi to abandon the pueblo and migrate to larger, more concentrated villages in the east and southwestern Zuni valley.

The first Spanish explorers came to the region looking for gold. They found songs and ceremony as the Anasazi/Zuni Indians connected with the spirit world in their community. In 1543, a Spanish explorer, Anbrio de Espejo, discovered El Morro while exploring the region. He described it as "the pool at the great rock" because the source of water meant survival in the harsh environment. Don Juan de Onate, another Spanish explorer, carved his name on the soft sandstone walls in 1605. He was responsible for killing hundreds of Indian men, women and children in his quest for gold as he rampaged through the Southwest. His legacy was European "black death." His silver sword severed one foot from every Indian warrior he met.

A succession of trappers, explorers, missionaries and soldiers carved their names and dates for historians. In 1848, a Lt. Simpson of the Army Topographical Engineers and artist Richard Kern came upon El Morro on their way west looking for land routes to California. Kern's published drawings established El Morro's importance as a source of water for future westward exploration.

In 1855, an Army expedition led by a Major Beale, with 33 camels, passed through western New Mexico stopping at El Morro. Two years later Gilmer Breckinridge, leading 25 camels westward, carved his name at El Morro. The government continued to use El Morro as a vital source of water between the Mississippi River and California.

»If You Go: El Morro
	Visitor Center: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Trails: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed December 25 and January 1. Getting There by Car 56 miles southeast of Gallup, NM via Highways 602 and 53; 42 miles southwest of Grants, NM via Highway 53. The parking lot, picnic tables, campground, and visitor center are wheelchair accessible. The Inscription Rock Trail is paved and wheelchair accessible with assistance. The Mesa Top Trail is not. There is a nearby campground for RVs and tents. Inscription Loop paved trail is 1/2 mile long. It takes less than an hour to get you to the pool. You’ll see Spanish, Anglo and earlier inscriptions. Mesa Top Trail is a two-mile loop. It takes about an hour-and-a-half, requiring more energy on a moderately strenuous hike to the top of the mesa. Good walking shoes and water are required. Views of Zuni Mountains and El Morro Valley. Mesa Trail takes you to the Atsinna ruins. El Morro was designated a National Monument in 1906. For more information, click: http://www.nps.gov/elmo

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