About 25 miles north of Santa Fe, above Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, lies Mesa Prieta. Also known as Black Mesa, this 35 square mile mesa looms 1,000 feet above the river valley, its dark coloration due to layer of basalt that caps this flat-topped mountain. The cultural significance of the mesa, and its surrounding landscape, has been well documented by The Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project over the past 25 years. Petroglyphs, check dams, shrines, trails, agricultural areas and ceramic and lithic scatters are found all over the mesa.
This virtual tour visits Cottonwood Preserve and Sagrada Jardín de Piedra Preserve, two parcels that The Archaeological Conservancy recently added to its preservation efforts on Mesa Prieta.
