Historical Marker
Salinas National Monument (2)
This unique regional complex of prehistoric Indian pueblos and associated 17th-century Franciscan mission ruins constitutes a “capsule in time” in which the first century of Native American-European contact in what is now the U.S. is preserved. Nearby are the Abó , Quarai, and Gran Quivira ruins. The central visitor center is in Mountainair’s historic Shaffer Hotel.
In the early 1800s, New Mexico became an important center for trade along the Santa Fe Trail, which connected Missouri to Santa Fe. The trail was used by traders, trappers, and settlers to transport goods and supplies across the frontier.