Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument ⓘ

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument was created in November 1909 to safeguard what is now known as the Gran Quivira Unit of the park. Initially named Gran Quivira National Monument, it aimed to protect the San Buenaventura Mission and later expanded in 1919 to include the nearby pueblo mounds. Nearly 24 years after its establishment, Gran Quivira welcomed its first employee, WH "Doc" Smith, a local physician who took on the role of Custodian. Earning just 50 cents a day, Smith worked hard to make the park known, leading tours, constructing fences, installing septic systems, helping with archaeological digs, and managing treasure hunters. He retired in 1936, leaving behind a legacy of protection at Gran Quivira that would motivate all future Superintendents. Doc Smith is just one of the many fascinating figures in the history of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. To learn more about individuals from various eras of the Salinas Pueblo Missions' history, check out the links below.

Clara Corbin Adolph Bandelier Edgar Lee Hewett María de Ágreda Jacobo Yrisarri Frank "Boss" Pinkley

Salinas Pueblo Missions is a curious park in that it is a collection of three discontinuous units — Abó , Quarai , and Gran Quivira — each with distinct Spanish Missions, Native American Pueblos, and a variety of other historic buildings and ruins. The park started on November 1, 1909 with the preservation of the Gran Quivira unit. This first park, Gran Quivira National Monument, was joined in 1980 by the Abó and Quarai Units, which were transferred to the National Park Service from New Mexico State Monuments. The two new units were combined with Gran Quivira to create Salinas National Monument, which was renamed Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in 1988.

Each of the three units would easily make an incredible National Monument on their own. For this reason it is difficult to briefly summarize the individual locations, staggering architecture, and historical significance of the three units. In light of this fact, in the following pages each unit is divided into its own section with additional pages for highlighted features, buildings, and structures.

William G. and Clara A. B. Corbin marked a significant turning point in Gran Quivira's history when they claimed a homestead on 160 acres, which they thought held the remnants of Las Humanas Pueblo and the San Buenaventura mission. William, a Civil War veteran from New York, served as a commissioned officer for colored troops during the war. After the war ended, he headed west in search of work and never went back to his first wife and kids in Lockport, New York. While in Chicago in 1872, he sent a letter to his wife asking for a divorce and remarried two years later in Ohio. William and his new wife, Clara A. Ball, moved to New Mexico in 1882 to pursue a railroad venture but lost everything during the financial crash of 1893. To try and recover their lost wealth, the couple decided to explore Gran Quivira in search of its legendary treasure.

William and Clara made their initial trip to Gran Quivira sometime before April 1895. Using his benefits as a Civil War veteran, William submitted a homestead claim for the land to protect their rights to any treasures that could be discovered in the ruins. Sadly, before they could pursue their treasure hunt, William Corbin passed away in Albuquerque in 1898. After his death, Clara inherited the homestead claim and played a crucial role in the history of the Salinas antiquities.

After her husband passed away, leaving her without support, Clara Corbin, who was legally blind, started giving lectures on different subjects in Albuquerque and later in the Colorado Springs area. While traveling for her lectures, she lived at Gran Quivira to meet the homestead requirements. Clara stayed in a room of the convento that had a new roof, and even though she couldn't see, she managed to find her way to the clothesline and outhouse using specific guidelines. A local shepherd boy helped her by bringing water. Toward the end of the century, Clara went to Colorado Springs for medical help, where she met Mrs. Virginia McClurg, a strong advocate for the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings and the leader of the Colorado Cliff Dwellers Association. In July 1899, Mrs. McClurg invited Clara to give a lecture at her home. However, their friendship quickly deteriorated because they had different opinions on how to handle the ruins at Gran Quivira.

In July 1901, Virginia McClurg enlisted Alfred Wetherill to take her to the ancient ruins of Gran Quivira in central New Mexico so she could explore them firsthand. She later wrote a report to the director of the Brooklyn Museum, sharing her experiences and detailing her intentions to challenge Clara Corbin's homestead claim. McClurg's strategy was that if she won the contest, her husband, Mr. McClurg, could file a claim on the ruins since married women like Mrs. McClurg were not allowed to do so. The legal battle between Corbin and McClurg kicked off on July 23, 1901, at the General Land Office in Santa Fe and eventually reached the General Land Office in Washington, D.C. In June 1903, it was determined in the capital that Corbin's claim was invalid because William's divorce from his first wife had never been finalized, which made him a bigamist and Clara not his legal widow. However, in January 1904, Secretary of the Interior E. A. Hitchcock reversed the General Land Office's decision, returning the land to Corbin. Finally, on April 18, 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt signed Homestead Certificate No. 2921, officially completing Clara Corbin's homestead application.

Clara Corbin kept fighting for the preservation of the ruins at Gran Quivira. To fund her passion for excavating the site, she traveled across the United States, giving lectures about the ruins, reaching places like Oregon and California. Eventually, she authored a book and sold subscriptions for it and its follow-up. Clara Corbin passed away in Los Angeles, California, in December 1913. Shortly after her death, in 1914, the Museum of New Mexico bought the land of the Corbin Homestead. This area was later included in the expanded boundaries of Gran Quivira National Monument in 1919.

Adolph Bandelier is recognized as a key figure in the fields of ethnography, history, and archaeology, particularly in the American Southwest. He was born in 1840 in Bern, Switzerland, and his family relocated to the United States in 1848. They settled in Highland, Illinois, where Bandelier was initially prepared to join the family banking business. However, a friendship with the renowned anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan sparked his interest in ethnography. In 1880, at the age of 40, he journeyed to Santa Fe to explore this newfound passion by engaging with various American Indian tribes in the region. At that time, many people did not view the study of American Indians as significant, but a letter of endorsement from John Wesley Powell helped persuade the Archaeological Institute of America to support his research. In 1882, Bandelier continued his explorations in the Southwest, visiting all the missions linked to the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. He meticulously mapped these sites and captured some of the earliest photographs of the missions. His documentation of their condition and the cultural remnants present has proven to be invaluable for the park. Bandelier also explored numerous areas that are now designated as National Parks in New Mexico and Arizona, including Pecos, Aztec Ruins, El Morro, El Malpais, Gila Cliff Dwellings, Casa Grande, Tonto, and the pueblo ruins of the Pajarito Plateau, which was later named Bandelier National Monument in his honor. He published a report detailing his findings in the Southwest titled "Final Report of Investigations Among the Indians of the Southwestern United States, Carried on Mainly in the Years from 1880 to 1885." Bandelier's research extended beyond the United States as he studied cultures in Mexico, Central America, and South America. He passed away in 1914 while working at the Archivo de las Indias in Spain. His remains were buried in Seville, but in 1977, they were exhumed, and his ashes were scattered at Bandelier National Monument in 1980.

One person who has done a wealth of work towards the preservation of the Salinas Pueblo Missions is Edgar Lee Hewett. Born in 1865, Hewett would fall in love with the west, especially the archaeological ruins while on vacations from teaching in Colorado. In 1898, Hewett accepted a position as the head of the Normal University in Las Vegas, New Mexico. During this time Hewett became interested in the preservation of archaeological sites on the Pajarito Plateau, publishing a report that brought him national attention. This effort would lead Hewett to Washington DC where he helped author the Antiquities Act in 1906.

The Antiquities Act was a monumental achievement for preservation. The act allowed for the protection of archaeological sites and other sites of significance. It also allowed the president of the United States to set aside National Monuments. By the end of his term, President Roosevelt would set aside eight National Monuments including Devils Tower in Wyoming, El Morro and Gila Cliff Dwellings in New Mexico, and the Petrified Forest in Arizona. Using the Antiquities Act, President Taft set aside Gran Quivira National Monument on November 1, 1909. A portion of Hewett's beloved Pajarito Plateau would become Bandelier National Monument in 1916.

In 1907 Hewett would become the director of the School of American Archeology, later called the School of American Research (SAR). This group would work to protect prehistoric archaeological sites throughout the west by acquiring individual ruins. Through this effort SAR was able to acquire the Pecos Pueblo, and later in 1913, the Quarai Mission. Hewett led an archaeological investigation at Quarai in 1913 excavating portions of many of the pueblo mounds. SAR and the Museum of New Mexico (established in 1909 and headed by Hewett) would then purchase the Clara Corbin homestead that contained portions of the Gran Quivira mission complex in 1914. Hewett would lead the first excavations at Gran Quivira in 1923. During this project the National Monument was fenced off, the San Buenaventura Church was cleared of rubble, and early excavations were started on some of the mounds and kivas. Hewett would return to Gran Quivira, continuing to excavate many of the pueblo mounds and mission structures through 1927.

Hewett would continue to work as an archaeologist throughout the southwest, eventually establishing the archaeology and anthropology divisions at the University of New Mexico. The University of New Mexico would purchase Quarai in 1928 after the SAR lost it following local pressure. They would then purchase the Abó Mission in 1937. Both would become New Mexico State Monuments in 1938. Edgar Lee Hewett died in December 1946.

One of the most fascinating tales connected to Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is that of María de Jesus de Ágreda. Born in 1602, Sor María de Ágreda is said to have experienced bilocation starting in 1620. While in a trance at her convent in Ágreda, Spain, she claimed to be spiritually present in New Mexico and other areas of what is now the American Southwest and Mexico. During her time in New Mexico, Sor María reported visiting the Jumano Indians, urging them to go to the Spanish missions and request that a missionary accompany them back to their pueblos and villages. By 1626, stories from New Mexico indicated that Native Americans were arriving at missions because a "Lady in Blue" had instructed them to seek out the priests there. One of the places she was said to have visited was the pueblo of Las Humanas, now known as Gran Quivira. She was also reported to have frequently "visited" a group of refugee Jumanos near the mission of Cuarac (Quarai). When more missionaries arrived in 1629, Gran Quivira became a visita, which is a satellite mission without a resident priest, of the Abó Mission. Meanwhile, Fray Alonso de Benavides, the Custodian of New Mexico, returned to Spain with a report about the Blue Nun. While in Spain, he met with King Felipe IV and used his report to secure more funding for New Mexico. Benavides then spent three weeks with Sor María in Ágreda, confirming that she was indeed the "Lady in Blue." An expanded report was presented to Pope Urban VIII in 1634. The following year, the Spanish Inquisition investigated Sor María and found no evidence to discredit her claims or writings. In 1643, King Felipe IV visited her, and they began corresponding. After her death in 1665, the process for her beatification started in 1673 by Pope Clemente X, who declared Sor María "Venerable," but her canonization process is still ongoing. In 2002, the celebration of her 400th birthday sparked more interest in María de Ágreda's story, leading the Manzano Mountain Arts Council to create a public mural in Mountainair that showcases Sor María de Ágreda.

Abandoned ruins have a unique way of drawing in treasure hunters. The Spanish Mission ruins in New Mexico are no exception, and some local towns even created a small business selling fake treasure maps to thrill-seekers. Many of these maps pointed to hidden Spanish gold supposedly buried at Gran Quivira. Legend has it that during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the Spanish had to leave Gran Quivira in a hurry, hiding gold to come back for later. However, it’s worth noting that the mission at Gran Quivira was actually abandoned eight years before the Pueblo Revolt. As Frank "Boss" Pinkley remarked after meeting a treasure hunter there, "The stories they shared revealed a surprising lack of historical understanding about the site." One notable treasure hunter was Jacobo Yrisarri, who was born in 1860. He made several attempts to uncover treasure at Gran Quivira. In 1917, he followed a treasure map carved into a rock and dug a deep shaft in the apse of the San Isidro mission church, which was eight years after Gran Quivira National Monument was established. Yrisarri was eventually taken to Santa Fe, likely by archaeologist Edgar Hewett, and fined for breaking the 1906 Antiquities Act, which prohibited looting in National Parks and other federal lands. Interestingly, in 1930, J.B. Wofford received permission from the legislature to dig at Gran Quivira in search of buried treasure. By 1932, Jacobo Yrisarri was brought on to lead the "excavation" until it ended a year later. The treasure shaft he dug went straight down before turning toward the San Buenaventura church. Unfortunately, Yrisarri passed away in 1937 without ever discovering the treasure at Gran Quivira. The shaft he created was filled in and sealed up in 1940.

The Gran Quivira unit of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is the largest of the three units at 611 acres. Prior to Spanish contact, Gran Quivira was a vast city with multiple pueblos, and kivas. Mound 7 , a 226 room structure from the Pueblo IV period (A.D.1275/1300-1600), is the largest and only fully excavated pueblo at the site. During the excavation, an older Circular Pueblo was discovered under Mound 7. First contact with the Spanish probably happened in 1583 with the arrival of Don Antonio de Espejo who mentions a settlement that sounds very similar to Gran Quivira. The Spanish returned in 1598 with the expedition of Don Juan de Oñate who was the first Spaniard to colonize what would become New Mexico. Oñate visited a pueblo he called Las Humanas which was the southernmost settlements. As part of the mission system, Las Humanas (Gran Quivira) was first placed under the Pecos Mission District. Later, with the arrival of Fray Alonso de Benavides in 1626, Gran Quivira was given more attention and later became a visita (a satellite mission without a resident Father) of Abó in 1629. That same year construction began on the first permanent mission at Gran Quivira. Under the supervision of Fray Francisco Letrado, rooms on the west end of Mound 7 ( Letrado's Convento ) were used by the Spanish for housing and probably an early chapel. Letrado was moved to the Zuni Pueblo in 1631 and Gran Quivira came under the control of Fray Francisco de Acevedo at the Abó Mission. Construction on Iglesia de San Isidro was completed in 1635. In 1659 Fray Diego de Santander was permanently assigned to Gran Quivira. Soon after, construction on a new larger church, San Buenaventura, began. By 1672 a combination of disease, drought, famine, and Apache raiding led to the abandonment of Gran Quivira.

In addition to our rich human history, Salinas also hosts a variety of plant and animal species today. Learn more about the wildlife living at Salinas in this video!

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, located in central New Mexico, comprises 3 units: Abó, Quarai, and Gran Quivira with elevations ranging from 6100 to 6600 feet above sea level. Vegetation is predominantly pinyon-juniper woodlands and associated shrubland, including cacti. Good riparian conditions exist at Abó and Quarai.

Salinas Pueblo Missions is positioned within the Estancia Basin, east of the Manzano Mountains. In Pleistocene time, the Estancia Basin held a lake. Beaches, bars, and spits are distinguishable surrounding the margins of the valley. Eventually the lake dried up and the American Indians associated with the pueblos of Salinas cultivated staple foods such as corn, beans, and squash, on the fine loamy lake deposits.

Salinas Pueblo Missions was set aside because of the importance of the cultural resources; however, there is a major connecting link to the natural resources. The link is the importance of man’s adjustment to a marginal land and the man-land relationship during the past 1,000+ years of occupation.

Plants play a crucial role in determining where people and animals decide to settle, much like a reliable water source. At Salinas Pueblo Missions, there is a rich variety of plant life. You might come across a yucca plant, and if you take a moment to observe it, you'll start to appreciate its many uses and significance. This plant has served various purposes, from medicinal to dietary, and it remains valuable even today. The area is also filled with fruit-bearing plants like chokecherries, currants, and gooseberries. These fruits are vital food sources for numerous birds and mammals that either visit or reside in the region. It's likely that the inhabitants from 300 to 600 years ago relied on these fruit-bearing plants when their corn or squash crops were scarce. Even now, many people continue to gather these fruits. Some plants at the Abó and Quarai sites were introduced in the early 1930s by the WPA, including wild cherries, wild plums, cottonwood trees, and Western Yellow Pines. One of the most interesting plants is the Buffalo Gourd, which is a wild relative of cultivated squash. Similar to squash, the Buffalo Gourd grows on a vine and produces fruit that is about the size of a tennis ball.

Click here to see the cumulative World Migratory Bird Day list for Quarai. Click here to read about the 2014 World Migratory Bird Day at Quarai. Abó (6,100 ft.): Abó, like Quarai, has a near constant water source, which makes it look somewhat similar to Quarai. However, it lacks the Yellow-breasted Chat and the Phainopepla. At Abó, you can often see Rock Wrens, Say's Phoebes, Canyon Towhees, and Lesser Goldfinches. In the fall, Lark Sparrows and Hairy Woodpeckers show up more frequently. Abó also has some unique features, like the Black Phoebe that nests every year on a rocky ledge above a spring-fed pool. Mountain Bluebirds and Barn Owls have been observed nesting in the church. Some rare visitors at Abó have included the Spotted Sandpiper, Belted Kingfisher, Steller's Jay, Northern Waterthrush, and Clark's Nutcracker. Gran Quivira (6,500 ft.): This location, perched on Chupadera Mesa, offers stunning views of the Estancia Valley beneath it. However, due to the complete lack of water, the birdlife here is mostly limited to species that thrive in a nearly untouched juniper-savannah environment. During the breeding season, you can expect to see birds like the Mourning Dove, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Scrub-Jay, Bewick's Wren, Juniper Titmouse, Chipping Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Rock Wren, Say's Phoebe, and sometimes even a Gray Flycatcher. To understand why an increasing number of people are enjoying birdwatching in Salinas, check out these related links on this webpage: the bird checklist, which will be updated soon; the spring count totals for World Migratory Bird Day at Quarai from 1998 to 2020; and the findings from a Breeding Bird survey conducted at Gran Quivira on May 26, 2002. Click here to see the 2002 Breeding Bird Survey at Gran Quivira