Potrero (landform) facts for kids

A potrero is a special type of flat-topped hill, called a mesa, which slopes upward to higher ground at one end. You often find them on the sides of mountains, as part of a larger area of land that has been cut into many hills and valleys.

The word "potrero" comes from the Spanish language. It is commonly used in the southwestern United States. Sometimes people translate it as "tongue of land" or "enclosed piece of pasture land." However, in Spanish, the meaning "tongue of land" is quite old-fashioned.

Also, an older meaning of potrero referred to someone who took care of young horses (called potros in Spanish) that were kept for breeding. Today, in Spanish, potrero usually means any land where such horses are kept. This could be a ranch, open land, or a shared community pasture.

What is a Potrero?

A potrero is a unique landform that looks like a long, flat-topped ridge. It's connected to higher land at one end and slopes down from there. Imagine a long finger of land sticking out from a mountain. These landforms are often created when water carves away softer rock, leaving harder sections standing.

Where Does the Word Come From?

The word potrero is Spanish. It originally related to potro, which means a young horse or colt. So, a potrero was a place where young horses were kept. Over time, the word also came to describe the shape of certain landforms that might have been used for this purpose, especially in the American Southwest.

Famous Potreros: The Pajarito Plateau

Some of the most famous potreros are found on the Pajarito Plateau near Santa Fe, New Mexico in the United States. These "finger mesas" were once a single, thick layer of hardened volcanic ash, known as the Bandelier Tuff.

Ancient Homes in the Tuff

Over a very long time, water carved deep, evenly spaced canyons into this volcanic ash. When the ancient Pueblo people left Chaco Canyon, some moved to the Pajarito Plateau. They were very clever! They carved amazing homes directly into the soft tuff rock at the bottom of these potreros. They also built villages on top of the potreros and on the canyon floors. Many of these ancient homes and the surrounding potreros are now protected at Bandelier National Monument.

Pastures for Animals

Historically, these potreros were very useful. They served as winter grazing land for animals like horses, sheep, and cattle. These animals would be moved to and from green summer pastures in the high grass valleys (called valles) of the Valles Caldera. Today, these potreros are still used in a similar way, but now by a large herd of elk. These potreros are like natural pens because they are mostly enclosed, with only one main way to get out: the narrow connection to the higher land.

In Spain, a potrero can also mean common land that is not in very good condition.

See also

In Spanish: Potrero (geomorfología) para niños