Hey hey USA - 27th October - an ancient pueblo and a ruined church

 Just south of Abiquiu we had noticed a direction sign leading to the site of an old pueblo.

We had to climb a hill to see it and had tremendous views across the River Chama to Georgia O'Keeffee's 'white place' beyond. The pueblo was known as Poshuouinge and was built around 1400AD. At its height it contained around 700 rooms and would have extended to two or three storeys high. The site was abandoned around 1500 when the inhabitants moved to the banks of the Rio Grande, where their descendants still live. Now all you can see is the layout still imprinted on the ground.

The earlier snow had not come to much but the sky was still dark over the mountains and it looked as if there might be more to come.



The cottonwoods were providing plenty of colour



Site of an ancient hearth



The 'white place'


Impending weather

When we had finished looking at Poshuouinge we drove a little closer to Abiquiu to see a ruined church. Adobe dwellings need constant upkeep and once they are neglected they tend to be washed away in bad weather. Santa Rosa de Lima was a small town settled by the Spanish in the 1730's. The church of the same name was built in 1744. Repeated raids by the Utes and the Comanches caused the settlers to move a little further north and found the town of Abiquiu. The church was still in use up until the 1930's but since then has gently slid into decay. People still lay flowers and artifacts inside the ruins.











There was a gorgeous stand of cottonwoods by the church.









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