Coronado State Monument
Coronado State Monument does not actually lie on the Jemez Mountain Trail, which begins on Hwy. 550 at San Ysidro. However, it is on Hwy. 550 on the way to the trail from Albuquerque, and it's definitely worth a stop.
Coronado State Monument includes the partially reconstructed ruins of the ancient Pueblo of Kuaua, a Tiwa word for "evergreen." This monument is named for Francisco Vasquez de Coronado who is thought to have camped near this site with his soldiers in 1540 while searching for the fabled Cities of Gold but instead found thriving agricultural villages inhabited since 1300 AD.
Today you can visit this historical site on a 1/5-mile interpretive trail leading to a reconstructed kiva that was excavated in the 1930s. Many decorated layers were revealed and are considered the finest example of pre-contact mural art in North America with 15 panels of the original murals housed in Kuaua Hall. The kiva is open to the public to view mural reproductions dipicting animal and human figures.
Native American and Spanish Colonial artifacts are on display in visitor center. The Children's Wing interprets the history of central New Mexico. Visit the site of Kuaua and enjoy the breathtaking beauty combined in the archaeology and landscape of the area, including an awe-inspiring view of the Sandia Mountains to the southwest. |
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