GETTING OUT OF THE CITY
Santa Fe | Indian Pueblos | Ghost Towns | Archaeological Ruins | Water Fun

One of the best things about Albuquerque is how easy it is to get away from it. This is not to suggest that Albuquerque is not worth seeing; far from it! New Mexico has a great deal to offer within a close radius of Albuquerque, with excursions both feasible for tourists based in the city with limited time and for residents looking for weekend excursions. Although the city is growing rapidly, it is still possible to drive to remote areas and totally different surroundings in less than an hour.

SANTA FE

This internationally famous city, which is also the capital of New Mexico, is perhaps best known as a cultural and culinary Mecca, with over 200 restaurants and countless art galleries and crafts' shops. Located here are some of the state's finest museums as well. Many Santa Fe attractions are listed but other can be easily obtained from the large tourist information center just south of Santa Fe. Getting there is simple by car -- about an hour drive north from Albuquerque via Interstate 25. Visitors wanting to spend several days strolling around Santa Fe may rent cars on a one-way basis, both to and from Santa Fe.
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INDIAN PUEBLOS

There are more than a dozen pueblos within an easy drive of Albuquerque, several just north of Santa Fe. Feast days usually feature dances in the pueblo plaza, and Indian crafts made by residents of the pueblo often are sold in booths or by individuals walking through the crowd. Although the same festivals are held each year, plans change and Indian tradition does not attach the same importance to rigid schedules that the Anglo culture does. Check beforehand with newspapers or the Albuquerque Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, and then expect to spend several hours at whatever pueblo you decide to visit.

New Mexico Indians tend to be reserved, although most are friendly to visitors who are genuinely interested in their way of life and respect their different traditions. One strict rule is a ban on taking photographs of anyone or anything while visiting a pueblo. At some feast day celebrations, photography is allowed, although often only after payment of a photo permit fee of a few dollars. Religious buildings known as "kivas" are off-limits to photography without exception.

Each pueblo has its own specialties in setting, traditions, architecture, pottery and other crafts. Acoma and Taos are two of the more unusual examples and both are designated Registered National Historical Landmarks by the US Department of the Interior. Acoma is known as the "Sky City," and with good reason. Built on top of a rock nearly 400 feet high, this village is located about 50 miles west of Albuquerque on I-40 with shear cliffs all around. Tours are given and hand-made items sold. Taos is one of the best known pueblos because of its traditional style of multi-tiered apartment-style houses. The highest mountains in the state serve a s a spectacular backdrop to the village and its ceremonial dances, rabbit hunts and racing events.
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GHOST TOWNS

Abandoned remains of formerly thriving towns can be found in many parts of the state, but along NM 14, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, there are three in various stages of abandonment.

Beyond the turnoff to Sandia Peak, beyond all of the stores and eateries of Cedar Crest, some 30 miles from Albuquerque via I-40 lays GOLDEN, as quiet and authentic a ghost town as you can find. Reputedly the site of the first gold strike west of the Mississippi, Golden was known for its gold mining as early as the 16th century. The Spanish dug small deposits using Indians as forced labor, and Depression-era steam shovels worked faster, but without any better reward. Today, Golden has a general store and a number of very abandoned-looking homes. If there are people living in some of them, they are not advertising the fact.

MADRID, 20 miles to the North on NM 14, mined its last coal in 1956. Since the late 1970Õs, the town's ghostliness has been transformed into an arts and crafts center popular enough to scare any solitary-minded spirit. The abandoned coal mine shaft can be inspected, complete with authentic equipment and a restored Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe engine whose empty engineer's seat invites would-be railroad jockeys to enhance their fantasies. One of the favorite Madrid attractions is an old-time melodrama given regularly on weekends at the Madrid Opera House. Marshmallows are sold to the audience for the express purpose of pelting the villain. (Caution: The villain usually throws back with remarkable accuracy!) Outdoor summer jazz concerts have become a regular summer feature, and the crop of new restaurants includes an espresso and pastry bar.

Just three miles further north, CERILLOS was once a major railroad stop for lead, silver, coal, and turquoise mined in the 1880's. Believe it or not, the town once had eight newspapers and was seriously considered as a site for the state capital. Cerillos has been used numerous times in recent years as a movie set for Western films. Nearby are the ruins of San Marcos Pueblo, known for its excellent pottery before being abandoned about the time of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt.
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL RUINS

New Mexico is an archaeologist's paradise, with thousands of prehistoric Indian sites. The closest preserved sites are probably at the Coronado State Monument, 15 miles north on I-25 and two miles west of Bernalillo on NM 44. It contains partially reconstructed ruins of Juaua, the northernmost of the Tiwa villages where Coronado stayed during the winter of 1540. The most extensive and carefully reconstructed ruins are at Chaco Canyon, the center of an entire prehistoric Indian system. It can be reached by I-40 to Thoreau and north on NM 57, or northwest via NM 44 to the Nageezi Trading Post, north of Cuba. It is roughly 150 miles from Albuquerque, and the last 30 miles is dirt road, but well worth the trip if you are at all interested in archaeology or history. The height of the Chacoan period was in the 12th Century. By the 13th Century, the entire area had been abandoned, a mystery and the subject of many theories, including drought. Chaco has 16 major pueblo ruins and several thousand smaller sites. The Chaco Cultural National Historical Park also has an excellent visitors center, and campground with water for drinking and washing, but no showers. There are virtually no services of any kind, including gasoline and groceries, so be sure you are well supplied before leaving Crownpoint or Cuba. Inquire before leaving Albuquerque to see it the dirt access road is dry enough to be negotiable for your vehicle. The visitors center can be contacted at (505) 988-6727. Another key ruin is Bandelier National Monument, 46 miles northwest of Santa Fe. The rock, and therefore the type of prehistoric housing, is very different from Chaco: Holes in the soft Tuff rock were used as homes, often enlarged with wood and adobe structures attached.

Bandelier also contains 23,267 acres of wilderness, including 70 miles of hiking trails. You can obtain back-country permits from the visitors center. Roads are well paved to the center and the main ruins. There are no roads to any back-country points.
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WATER FUN

The Rio Grande offers white-water rafting, and several companies to guide you for fees ranging from $30 for a half-day to $75 for an all-day trip. Two- and three-day excursions are also available. For boating, the nearest lake to Albuquerque is Cochiti, located off I-25 south of Santa Fe. SHOPPING The largest shopping malls are the Winrock and Coronado Centers, located near the intersection of Louisiana and Menaul Boulevards. The major chain stores (Sears, Montgomery Wards, JC Penny, Macy's, Mervyns, Dillard's, and Foley's) are represented here, as well as many other retail outlets. Westsiders now have the Cottonwood Mall which opened in late 1996 and offers some of the major chains as well. There are numerous smaller shopping malls and centers located along most of the major streets. The larger centers are meant for "one-stop" shopping, so they usually include a major-chain grocery store. Typically, it would be difficult to be more than five minutes away from a shopping area.
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