1960 Map of Cerro Verde

About this map

The Laguna Indian Reservation occupies the northern reaches of this New Mexico landscape, dominated by extensive volcanic formations. Massive deposits of Lava define the terrain, punctuated by prominent features such as Black Mesa, Volcano Hill, and the eponymous Cerro Verde in the southeast. This survey, grounded in 1951 aerial photography and field-checked in 1960, illustrates a geological transition where drainage patterns like Arroyo Colorado and Arroyo Lucero navigate the basaltic flows. Water sources are scarce in this arid environment, marked only by isolated features like a Spring and the Rock Tank with its accompanying Windmill. These small infrastructure points provided critical support for ranching or land management within the reservation and surrounding public lands before more modern development reached the area.