friends of Pecos National Historical Park – Friends of the Pecos National Historical Park

Park Offers Special Hikes to Backcountry Pueblos

Pecos, NM:– Pecos National Historical Park will offer two special backcountry hikes this May.

Arrowhead Pueblo

Join rangers for a free tour of the seldom-seen Arrowhead Pueblo on Sunday, May 26th. This one mile roundtrip visit to the 14^thcentury pueblo will explore the historical, archaeological, and cultural significance of this 100+ room ruin. Visitors interested in the tour are required to reserve a spot, as space is limited. Attendees will meet at the Visitor Center at 1:00 p.m. and caravan to the trailhead with the ranger.

Forked Lightning Pueblo

Explore the site of the Forked Lightning Pueblo on Saturday, May 25^th. Along the two mile roundtrip backcountry hike to the remnants of this 13th century pueblo, you will explore the fascinating history of a large settlement that sits on the western bank of Glorieta Creek. The pueblo, which housed hundreds of people primarily between 1225 and 1300 AD, was described and mapped by noted archaeologist A.V. Kidder in the late 1920s. Much has been learned about this historical treasure since then—come see for yourself!

This 2.5 hour program is an off-trail hike along uneven terrain through areas frequented by snakes. There is at least one stream crossing, please plan to bring appropriate footwear. Visitors interested in the tour must reserve a spot, as space is limited to 20 participants. Attendees will meet at 8:30 a.m. in the Upper Parking Lot adjacent to the ruins of the mission church.

For more information and to make reservations, contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241.

Park Offers Special Hike to the “Lost” Church

Park Tours

Pecos National Historical Park will offer a hike with Park Archaeologist Jeremy Moss to the site of the Lost Church on Sunday, May 5th. Along the one mile round trip hike to the ruins of the church, also known as the Ortiz Church, you will explore the fascinating history of some of the earliest missionary efforts in Northern New Mexico. The church, which dates from 1617-1621, was first described and mapped by Adolph Bandelier in 1880. Much has been learned about this historical treasure since then—come see for yourself!

This two hour program is an off-trail hike along uneven terrain through areas frequented by snakes. Visitors interested in the tour must reserve a spot, as space is limited to 15 participants. Attendees will meet at the Visitor Center at 8:30 a.m.

For more information and to make reservations, contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241.

You will also find our listings on the New Mexico True website (newmexico.org) and Tourism Santa Fe (santafe.org). Please like us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/PecosNHPnps or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pecos_nps).

Pecos NHP Set to Rehabilitate Historic Trading Post

Park Events

Pecos, NM: Pecos National Historical Park has been awarded funding to rehabilitate the historic Kozlowski’s Trading Post along Highway 63 in Pecos, NM. The project, which begins in late February 2019, will transform the building into a visitor contact station, museum, and employee office space. Weil Construction from Albuquerque, NM, is the General Contractor and is teamed with Avanyu General Contracting of Española and Pat Taylor Historic Preservation of Mesilla, NM, for the rehabilitation phase of the project. No tax dollars will be used for this project, instead receipts from visitor entrance fees from parks around the country will fund the rehabilitation of this building.

The Trading Post has a storied past. A Polish immigrant named Martin Kozlowski originally constructed the Trading Post along the Santa Fe Trail in 1858. It served as one of the last stage stops before trail-weary travelers arrived in Santa Fe after months on the dusty trail. During the Civil War Battle of Glorieta Pass, this building served as a Union hospital. In 1925, rodeo-promoter and entrepreneur Tex Austin purchased the building and turned it into ranch headquarters for his famous Forked Lightning Ranch. In the 1940s, E.E. “Buddy” Fogelson bought the ranch and then brought his Hollywood actress wife, Oscar-winning Greer Garson, to the Forked Lightning Ranch. Together, they worked the land as a hobby ranch and entertained many Hollywood guests. In 1990, the National Park Service acquired the ranch and Trading Post and used it as office space, until 2006, when the building was deemed unfit for occupancy.

For more information about the park in general, contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/peco. You will also find our listings on the New Mexico True website (newmexico.org) and Tourism Santa Fe (santafe.org). Please like on us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PecosNHPnpsor Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pecos_nps).

Old and New Holiday Traditions: Farolito Walk and Las Posadas at Pecos National Historical Park

Park Events

Join us this December for a two-night holiday event at Pecos National Historical Park. Together with the Friends of Pecos National Historical Park, St. Anthony’s Parish, and Western National Parks Association, the park will offer a Farolito Walk on Sunday, December 16^th and Las Posadas festivities on Monday, December 17^th. Both events are free and all parking will be at the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Posse Grounds. Shuttle transportation is provided.

Farolito Walk

Sunday, December 16^th

5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

In response to popular demand, this laid-back evening will offer visitors the opportunity to leisurely take in the magic and ambiance of more than 3500 farolitos. Enjoy the peace and quiet of a winter’s evening as you follow the illuminated 1-mile trail to the Spanish Mission Church and pueblo. Start your visit at the event tent that will be located outside the E.E. Fogelson Visitor Center. There you will find refreshments, warming stations, and the trailhead. From 6:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. the Santa Fe Brass Quintet, a music ensemble of accomplished and dedicated musicians from around the Santa Fe area, will play traditional and contemporary Christmas music.

Las Posadas

Monday, December 17^th

5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

This evening offers a more traditional Las Posadas experience. Horse-drawn wagon rides will begin at 5:15 p.m. The procession will begin at the remnants of the 18^thcentury church and convento at 6:00 p.m. and wind down the trail to the visitor center with the group singing traditional hymns and holiday songs in both English and Spanish. More than 3,500 farolitos will illuminate the trail. Free hot beverages and biscochitos will be served at the event tent.

In Spanish, las posadas means “inns” or “shelters,” and represents the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem and their search for shelter. St. Anthony’s Parish in Pecos carries on this northern New Mexico tradition every December. Pecos National Historical Park will be just one stop during this novena, or nine-day event.

Shuttle service will be more substantial this year to better accommodate the growing number of visitors attending this event. Free visitor parking will be located at the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo Grounds, immediately south of the Village of Pecos, near mile-marker 5 on the west side of Hwy. 63. Limited handicapped parking will be available at the park visitor center. There will be free school bus shuttles to take visitors to and from the park visitor center and parking area. Gates to the parking area open at 4:30 p.m. and buses will begin taking visitors to both events immediately. The last visitor shuttle from the rodeo grounds to the park will leave at 7:00 p.m. There is no other parking available at Pecos National Historical Park.

Please note, these events are almost entirely outdoors; appropriate winter clothing and flashlights are highly recommended.

Annual Feast Day Celebration at Pecos Pueblo

Park Events

Pecos National Historical Park will host the annual Feast Day celebration at Pecos Pueblo on Sunday, August 5^th.

Join in a time honored tradition as community members from the Pueblo of Jemez and

Pecos celebrate Feast Day mass inside the ruins of Our Lady of the Angels of Porciúncula (Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Porciúncula).

Following the 9:30 a.m. mass, the Feast Day celebration continues with traditional dancers from the Pueblo of Jemez and fresh rolls from the horno.

Feast Day at Pecos Pueblo represents the fulfillment of a long-standing promise. Before leaving Pecos Pueblo in 1838, the last inhabitants of Pecos Pueblo entrusted a special painting to St. Anthony’s Parish. A symbol of the pueblo’s adoption of Christianity as another form of religion, this portrait depicts the patron saint bestowed upon the Mission of Pecos in the 1620s. Every August, Pecos village fulfills its promise to perpetually honor the saint by celebrating a feast day mass in the remains of her final church.

For more information contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241 or visit www.nps.gov/peco. You will also find our listings on the New Mexico True website (newmexico.org) and Tourism Santa Fe (santafe.org). Please like us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/PecosNHPnps or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pecos_nps).

Pecos NHP Offers Free Lecture Archaeology of Pecos: Myth, Mystery, and Cultural Continuity

Park Events

Mission Trail - Marker 4b

Pecos National Historical Park Archaeologist Jeremy Moss will offer a presentation on the history of archaeology at the park, future avenues of research and the many cultural connections that bind modern Pueblo groups to Pecos Pueblo on Saturday, June 9^th at 1:00 p.m. at the Vista Grande Public Library.

For more than six hundred years, Pecos Pueblo served as a gateway community connecting the Great Plains and the Rio Grande Valley. The allure, mysteries, and myths of Pecos have fascinated archaeologists since Adolph Bandelier first recorded the site in 1881. The cultural connections to modern Pueblo groups makes it an interesting place to explore cultural continuity and to assess the legends and lore that first drew archaeologists to Pecos at the turn of the 20th century.

Please note, this program will take place at the Vista Grande Public Library, which is located at 14 Avenida Torreon, Santa Fe, NM 87508. Space is limited, so please arrive early.

For more information about the park contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/peco. You will also find our listings on the New Mexico True website (newmexico.org) and Tourism Santa Fe (santafe.org). Please like on us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PecosNHPnps or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pecos_nps).

Night Photography Workshop of 2018 at Pecos National Historical Park

Park Events

On May 19, the Friends of Pecos National Historical Park will be hosting the first Night Photography Workshop of 2018 at Pecos National Historical Park. This event is being held in conjunction with an astronomy program hosted by the park.

The workshop will be led by nature photographer, Stan Ford, who served as the Artist-in-Residence at Pecos NHP in 2016. The session will take place adjacent to the mission and will not include formal instruction. Stan and Richard Gonzales will be available for assistance. Photographers should know how to operate their camera in Manual mode and be able to do so in the dark. Equipment should include a sturdy tripod and red headlamp or flashlight. A wide-angle lens is recommended.

Space will be limited. Participants will have approximately two hours, after dark, to shoot. Anyone interested should contact the park’s visitors center – (505) 757-7241.

You can also fill out this simple form to get on the list.

Trail Improvement Project at Pecos National Historical Park

Mission Trail

On April 2, 2018, contractors will begin work on the rehabilitation of the Ruins Trail in the Main Unit of Pecos National Historical Park. The trail, which provides access to the ancestral pueblo sites and ruins of the iconic Spanish Mission church, was first installed in 1982. The resurfacing of the trail will improve visitor safety, provide greater accessibility to those with mobility impairments, address a deferred maintenance backlog, and reduce future maintenance costs. The entire project should be completed by the end of July 2018.

While some portion of the pueblo and mission church will always be available for viewing, there will be temporary closures along sections of the trail where the contractors are working. Since areas of the trail will close or open according to a shifting project schedule, visitors are requested to stop by the Visitor Center prior to beginning their walk to find out which sections of the trail are currently open.

For more information about the park in general, contact Pecos NHP at (505) 757-7241 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/peco. You will also find our listings on the New Mexico True website (newmexico.org) and Tourism Santa Fe (santafe.org). Please like on us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PecosNHPnps or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pecos_nps).