El Morro National Monument facts for kids
Quick facts for kids El Morro National Monument |
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IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
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 El Morro National Monument
Location in New Mexico
El Morro National Monument
Location in the United States
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| Location | Cibola County, New Mexico, USA |
| Nearest city | El Morro, New Mexico |
| Area | 1,278.72 acres (5.1748 km2) 1,039.92 acres (420.84 ha) federal |
| Created | December 8, 1906 |
| Visitors | 68,867 (in 2019) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | El Morro National Monument |
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El Morro National Monument
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| Area | 221 acres (89 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000043 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
El Morro National Monument is a special place in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. It's called a national monument because it protects important history and nature. This area was once a busy trail for travelers.
At El Morro, you can see a huge sandstone rock formation. At its base, there's a natural pool of water. This water made it a perfect stopping point for people traveling long ago. Many travelers left their marks on the rock, which you can still see today.
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Ancient Pueblo People at El Morro
For many years, people lived at El Morro. Between about 1275 and 1350 AD, up to 1,500 Ancestral Puebloan people lived here. They built a large village with 875 rooms on top of the mesa.
This village was on the old Zuni-Acoma Trail. This trail was an important route for trading goods in ancient times. The local Zuni Indians called the rock A'ts'ina, meaning "Place of writings on the rock."
Inscriptions and Travelers
El Morro was like an oasis in a dry land. Many explorers and travelers stopped here for water. While resting, they carved their names, dates, and stories into the sandstone cliffs. Some of these carvings are very old, from the 1600s.
The oldest carving by a European is from April 16, 1605. It was left by Juan de Oñate. He was the first Spanish governor of the New Mexico colony. Later, American travelers also left their names. This included members of the Rose–Baley Party in 1858.
Long before Europeans arrived, the Ancestral Puebloans also carved images. These are called petroglyphs. In 1906, a U.S. law was passed to stop new carvings. This helps protect the old inscriptions.
Protecting El Morro
President Theodore Roosevelt made El Morro a national monument on December 8, 1906. This helped protect its unique history. In 1966, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, the National Park Service takes care of El Morro. You can walk on trails to see the old carvings, the water pool, and the ruins of the ancient village. El Morro is part of the Trails of the Ancients Byway. This is a special road that connects many historic sites.
In 2019, El Morro became an International Dark Sky Park. This means it's a great place to see the natural night sky. This helps protect both the historic carvings and the beautiful stars above.
Gallery
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Inscription by Juan de Oñate in 1605. This is the oldest historical inscription at El Morro.
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Inscription recording a 1629 expedition by Francisco Manuel de Silva Nieto
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El Morro in 1868, photographed by Alexander Gardner
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Native American petroglyph
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Sandstone bluff at El Morro
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Ponderosa pine along Mesa Top trail loop
Images for kids
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Inscription by Juan de Oñate in 1605. This is the oldest historical inscription at El Morro.
See also
In Spanish: Monumento nacional El Morro para niños
