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1967 Map of Cerro Hueco

Name: 1967 Topographic Map of Cerro Hueco
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

The Continental Divide winds through this high-altitude landscape of Valencia County, marking a rugged boundary between watershed systems and volcanic formations. Much of the eastern terrain is dominated by the stark Lava flows of The Malpais, while the north and west are dotted with small ephemeral bodies of water such as Williams Lake, Big Lake, and Laguna de la Choza. Isolated volcanic cones rise abruptly from the plateau, including the namesake Cerro Hueco, Cerro Negro, and Cerrito Arizona.

Settlement is sparse within the Cibola National Forest boundaries, characterized primarily by remote outposts such as Mason Ranch and Los Cerros Ranch. These locations, connected by unimproved dirt roads, reflect the livestock grazing and ranching heritage that has long defined this pocket of New Mexico. The mapping of Laguna Larga and Laguna Americana alongside these peaks provides a detailed look at the water sources critical to high-desert survival before later 20th-century developments.