Historical Marker
Santa Fe Trail
William Becknell, the first Santa Fe Trail trader, entered Santa Fe in 1821 after Mexico became independent from Spain and opened its frontier to foreign traders. The Mountain Branch over Raton Pass divided here. One fork turned west to Cimarron, the south and joined a more direct route at Rayado. The difficulty of bringing caravans over rocky and mountainous Raton Pass kept most wagon traffic on the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail until the 1840s. Afterwards, the Mountain Branch, which here approaches Raton Pass, became more popular with traders, immigrants, gold-seekers, and government supply trains.
New Mexico is home to many important Native American sites and cultures, including the Taos Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, and Navajo Nation. These tribes have lived in the region for thousands of years and have preserved their traditions and customs despite centuries of colonization and oppression.