What prompted me to investigate the ruins of this historic church in the middle of nowhere? I could…read moreregale you, Dear Reader, with a tale of the supernatural and/or metaphysical ("I felt inexplicably drawn here, as though the spirits of the 18th-century settlers had beckoned me all the way from San Antonio"), but the truth is much more mundane. I was on a road trip and needed to tinkle. The New Mexico Department of Transportation is stingy with rest areas, so this seemingly abandoned adobe structure seemed the perfect place to evacuate my bladder. Now, before you cry "blasphemy!", let me assure you that I did not desecrate this holy place with my sulfurous, asparagus-scented urea. No, I did my business several feet from the entrance. That's when I noticed the eerie beauty of the structure before me. My knowledge of New Mexican history is lacking, so I consulted Wikipedia and found the following article, which I have quoted verbatim. "Santa Rosa de Lima was an early 18th-century Spanish settlement in the Rio Chama valley, near the present-day town of Abiquiu in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. All that remains of this settlements are the ruins of its church. The church, on the plaza, was built around 1744, and was in use until the 1930s. Repeated raids by Utes and Comanches caused the settlement to be abandoned in 1747. In 1750, the Spanish founded a new settlement at the present site of Abiquiú, about a mile from Santa Rosa de Lima. Today the site of Santa Rosa de Lima is a ghost town, with substantial adobe ruins of the church, and mounds where the settlers' adobe houses stood. The site is private property, belonging to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Santa Rosa de Lima de Abiquiu was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978." As I poked around the ruins, I felt a sense of presence, the inexplicable kind of energy so common in places with long, storied histories. Just like sound is recorded onto vinyl, emotions and events often weave themselves into the very fabric of a structure, its bricks, its wood, or (in this case) its adobe/mudbrick. I touched the walls, closed my eyes, and visualized the religious rites that occurred here, the bloodshed, the suffering. Santa Rosa de Lima's palpable vibe is made all the more eerie by the cluster of crucifixes, sage bundles, and bottles of holy water placed at its northernmost wall. Is the Archdiocese of Santa Fe trying to keep some unspeakable evil force at bay? The lighting in my photos adds a vaguely sinister/ethereal patina reminiscent of the visual motif of Juan López Moctezuma "Alucarda," a delightfully sleazy supernatural Mexican horror film from the late 70's. I seldom post reviews of landmarks, but I wanted to document this strange little place. I imagine most travelers stumble upon Santa Rosa de Lima the same way I did. Did you over-imbibe on Hawaiian Punch? Do you suffer from benign prostatic hyperplasia? If so, then pull to the side of the road and make a golden offering to symbolize the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Explore the grounds and bask in the odd energy of Santa Rosa de Lima.

This was a rare and very cool find. This abandoned town is off the beaten path a little bit in the…read moremiddle of nowhere.

Without a doubt one of the best national parks or monuments I've ever been to! Highly, highly…read morerecommended if you are in the Santa Fe area. A couple notes: 1. Parking looks like it might get tough on busy weekends, mid-week we didn't have an issue early, and but when we left in the early afternoon, the main lot was pretty full. 2. The main Pueblo Loop trail was well maintained and quite accessible up to and just past the Big Kiva and Tyuonyi. The top-back part of the loop was a little more broken up, but still a pretty easy stroll. 3. The trail out to the Alcove House was absolutely beautiful! It's not paved, but it's a well maintained gravel. The ladders to the alcove itself are an interesting experience. If you don't love heights, there are some benches at the bottom of the ladder to sit on and relax. 4. Helpfully, there is a well-maintained pit toilet about halfway out, in case you need it. 5. The restaurant at the visitor center might not be the most efficient place, but the food was much better than you would expect!

I have been fascinated by Native American cliff-dwelling habitats since studying them in grade…read moreschool, but I never had, nor took the opportunity to explore them, until daytripping to Bandelier. The visitors' center and the grounds were everything. The paths were clear and an easy hike. Looking off, beyond the paths was the gem. You could viscerally feel as though you were on the otherside of the looking glass, into time forgotten. There was almost a sacred quality to the excursion, which could've been because it was a weekday and there weren't many other tourists. Or, it could've been because the Pueblo people who lived there from 1150 to 1550 were still there, peacefully watching over the place. Haunted is different than sacred. I guess the best way to describe it is: It was a place of a more natural, more wild west and awareness. It's a well-known place to New Mexicans as well as people studied in the culture of the area. As a layperson, I was both surprised and captivated. If you are mesmerized by history and want to step into a different culture, a different time, this is a place you must explore.

A spiritual and WONDERFUL experience watching Tribal members do the Turtle Dance. And what an…read morehonor to be escorted by one of the Kachina Clown Men. Thank You for letting me be there.

Every time I come back to visit Española, I make sure to stop at Chimayo Trading Post and they…read morenever disappoint. Their red chile is hands down the best I've ever had. Perfectly rich, flavorful, and consistently amazing with every visit. A true New Mexico treasure! Good selection, and great value. Very welcoming, I appreciate you all..

Very interesting trading post with many quality items. The owners are personable folks. I'm just…read moresorry I have not stopped before. Trust me, it's worth a stop!

I love that Santa Fe's Historical District restrictions allow the Plaza to retain its old world…read morecharm and wide accessibility for the community. The rest of metro Santa Fe might be their version of suburbia, but the heart that anchors Santa Fe is right here. Yes, the shopping on the adjacent streets is a bit high end, but the classy charm of the plaza and the Tribal merchants across the street at the Inn of the Governors grounds the experience. Besides the interesting mix of people at the Plaza, I note 2 interesting experiences: 1. The Classic Car show on Friday night that circled the entire Plaza on the outside, accented by "Low Riders" occasionally circling. Our friend Laurie even found the model of car that her family drove around during her childhood. 2. The Santa Fe Plaza Obelisk, historically known as the Soldiers' Monument, was toppled by protestors in 2020 and its pieces are slated for a museum. What will become of the Monument proper is in community committee hands, which will probably go round and round without much meaningful progress short term.

Founded in 1609 by the Spanish, this plaza is the main heart of Santa Fe with a lot of shops and…read morerestaurants accessible from here. This was where El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the royal road of the interior, ended, having begun in Mexico City. This is where the Santa Fe Trail ended its 900-mile-long journey from Independence, Missouri. There are markers in the plaza commemorating both. The best part of the plaza is the Native American street vendors that sell arts and crafts on the street. Many of them have their ID card and we loved meeting Paul and buying some of the hand painted see pots him and his wife made with hummingbirds on them. We asked him what the bird meant and he said "the beauty of life" and it made it a must buy. We saw other vendors selling jewlery, turquoise, paintings, and sandstone art but this was the tail end of our trip and we had no space anymore. This is an idea/tip but we asked around for fry bread or other Native American foods and nobody knew anywhere close by that served it. A nice Native American food truck or small stand would make a killing in this area!

Interesting and free local attraction (a little further away from downtown Santa Fe) that drives…read moretoday's needs for environmental awareness. Ethyl isn't super huge and as well known in Santa Fe yet, but it's hopefully making Santa Fe (and the US heading in the right direction with the use of recycling! Check this free local quirky attraction out if you have some time in Santa Fe!

While planning our day trip to Santa Fe from Albuquerque, we discovered Ethyl the Whale, a…read morelife-sized blue whale sculpture made entirely from single-use plastics to raise awareness about reducing plastic waste and encouraging recycling. She's located at the end of the track at Santa Fe Community College. We parked across the street and walked over for some great photo ops. It's an impressive and meaningful sight, definitely worth a quick stop on your way to or from Santa Fe!

My friend Bob had never been to New Mexico before and wanted to see an "iconic" pueblo. Taos…read morePueblo immediately came to mind and a place that Gayle and I had not been for over 18 years. It was a bit of a drive up (via the High Road), but well worth the time and effort. These multi-story homes are more than a thousand years old. None of the homes in the Taos Pueblo are vacant - five or six families live on the Pueblo full time, while the others live in town (with running water and electricity) but stay in their ancestral home many weeks throughout the year for important celebrations. We about the history of the Taos (or Tewa) people from our guide, Riley. That started at the Saint Geronimo Chapel and onward to the old church grounds, that hold the crumbling ruins of the original San Geronimo Chapel. Built in 1619 by Spanish priests using forced Native labor, it was destroyed during the 1680 Pueblo Revolt and again in 1847 by the U.S. Army (with women and children inside). In between were information on Pueblo ovens, family ties, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement. There were also various shop sprinkled throughout, with a few pleasant surprises, like one run by an established Santa Fe painter, and some nicely done local jewelry and other art. There was a lot to see here and I appreciated the leisurely pace, while being respectful of restricted areas and honoring any cultural-related requests by our hosts.

Wow, for the 1 star reviews. Yes $25 bucks is steep but what isnt in our current climate with the…read moreeconomy. We arrived and as we were at the stop sign, a young man motioned us back in which I obliged. He asked if we were here for the tour in which he directly us to park in the lot. We thanked him and proceeded to go pay for the admission fee. It was cold and drizzling but still made the most of it. We walked around and noticed a bunch of people standing so we hurried to joined them. The tour guide Bear is awesome, she provided detail of the community and how life is. At that time, we noticed some of the shops opening for business. There were only a few opened and we went to all of them. I gotta admit, I did buy some items at different vendors as thats what you there to do. Give it a try and dont penny pinch on a cool experience.

Gayle and I recently retuned to the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, of which she is one of Gayle's favorite…read moreartists. The only thing missing was a tour of her house up at Ghost Ranch, of which we'll resolve next year. We took the audio tour which helped explain things well, but bogged down a bit in the early middle. My interested picked up once she moved to New Mexico (from New York), and accelerated with the The "Tewa Nangeh/Tewa Country," Exhibit. This exhibition placed O'Keeffe's art in dialogue with the works of twelve contemporary Tewa artists to explore themes of sacred space, land ownership, and identity. I was particular enamored with "Tewa Tales of Suspense", an ongoing series of ceramic tiles and prints created by Santa Clara Pueblo artist Jason Garcia (Okuu Pín). He reimagines Native history and modern Pueblo life through the vibrant, action-packed visual style of classic Marvel comic book covers.

A very small, expensive museum that with a limited collection that disrespects its namesake. I…read morecannot recommend this museum. Many of O'Keefe's most well-known works were bought up by bigger museums (Met, Art Institute of Chicago, etc), and so this museum mainly has smaller pieces and studies. The curation is a bit thin, loosely chronological with some decent historical commentary, but not much placement within the broader artistic traditions within she worked. Several of her stronger pieces were stuck in weird crannies, like the side of a room showing a movie about her life, or in odd places where viewing them is blocked by installations in the center of the room. On the day we went, a show showcasing local artists' responses to her work dominated 1/3 of the exhibition space, with several of her works unceremoniously sprinkled among the local works. One of her most important late works, portraying a pelvic bone, was positioned along a passageway, while a work by a local artist riffing on the work was positioned front and center.

Great stop on the way to Bandalier National Monument. It was under construction when we were there…read moreso we couldn't see all of it but they have a museum and a map to guide you around the site.

If you want to get a little lesson in culture and go back in time, this is a nice stop to do just…read morethat. Nice walk with a lot of information on the history. I walked through kinda quick but, I should of took my time, as afterwards I realized I had enough time to see it all. The church was probably the most beautiful part of the whole site. Huge and sitting there I felt as if I would hear someone speak.