Collectively called the Salinas Pueblo Missions, three distinct sites (Abo, Quarai, and Gran Quivira), offer visitors a glimpse into the cultural and historical depth of New Mexico. It is here, near the great salt lakes of what is now known as the Estancia Valley, that people of the Anasazi and the Mogollon cultures evolved into an agriculture based society and started building villages almost two thousand years ago. The Tompiro villages of Abo and Gran Quivira, and the Tiwa speaking pueblo of Quarai, flourished as trading centers and were said to have numbered 10,000 inhabitants when the Spaniards arrived in the late 1500s. The colonial influence thrust the Pueblo Indians into a new era, with significant advances in many aspects of their lives, and at a great loss in others.
By the late 1670s, affected by a multitude of factors, the people at Abo, Quarai and Gran Quivira left their homes, leaving behind Pueblo ruins and stalwart Mission walls. Take a walk in this special place, peel back the layers of history, and experience the magic of the Salinas Pueblo Missions.
