2010 Map of Belen NW

About this map

Rio Puerco meanders through this Valencia County landscape, carving a prominent natural corridor that has long influenced the geography of the New Mexico interior. The distribution of ranching infrastructure across these flats points to a land defined by water management and livestock, where isolated landmarks like Pueblo Windmill and Shearing Corral Windmill serve as essential orientation points for local land use. These features, along with Popalito Windmill, suggest a working landscape where movement is dictated by the availability of water in an otherwise arid environment. Small catchments such as Metate Reservoir and Target Reservoir further illustrate the human effort to capture and sustain life in the high desert during the early twenty-first century.