Once, thriving American Indian trade communities of Tiwa and Tompiro speaking Puebloansinhabited this remote frontier area of central New Mexico. Early in the 17th-century Spanish Franciscans found the area ripe for their missionary efforts. However, by the late 1670s the entire Salinas District, as the Spanish had named it, was depopulated of both Indian and Spaniard. What remains today are austere yet beautiful reminders of this earliest contact between Pueblo Indians and Spanish

Colonials: the ruins of four mission churches, at Quarai, Abó, and Gran Quivira and the partially excavated pueblo of Las Humanas or, as it is known today, Gran Quivira. Established in 1980 through the combination of two New MexicoState Monuments and the former Gran Quivira National Monument, the present Monument comprises a total of 1,100 acres.

 

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Basic Information on Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
Operating Hours, Seasons
Daily-summer hours (Memorial Day - Labor Day): 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Winter hours (rest of the year): 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

How to Get to Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument

Nearest Airport to Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument - Major airlines serve Albuquerque

How to Drive to Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument - The Mountainair headquarters can be reached by taking I-25 south from Albuquerque to Belen, then NM 47 diagonally to US 60, then east 21 miles to Mountainair. To travel the historic highway route from the north, take I-40 east from Albuquerque to NM 337, drive south 54 miles to Mountainair. Information on the Quarai, Abó, and Gran Quivira ruins, as well as the surrounding area, are provided by National Park Service rangers at all three ruins and park headquarters.

Weather & Climate
Generally mild, dry summers, occasional snow in winter, fierce winds in spring. Walking shoes and sportswear in summer, light outerwear in winter are recommended.

Accessibility
The Visitor Centers are accessible to wheelchairs.

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Camping at Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
There are no camping facilities within the park.

Activities and More Information
Walking the interpretive trail through the missions and pueblos, sight seeing at the three historic sites, visit the museums,picnicking, bird watching and wildflower identification.