1963 Map of Chaperito

About this map

The Gallinas River carves a winding path through the high mesas of San Miguel County, anchoring a landscape defined by historic water rights and early ranching outposts. This mid-1960s survey documents the irrigation infrastructure of the Chaperito Ditch and Los Torres Ditch which served the small settlement of Chaperito. The map provides a critical record for genealogists and land historians, noting the sites of Aguila (Ruins) with its nearby Aguila Cem, and the remnants of Fort Hatch (Ruins) located further south along the Agua Media Creek. High ground is dominated by the broad expanses of Montosa Mesa and East Mesa, while the presence of numerous windmills and isolated springs like Aguilar Spring and Coyote Spring highlights the importance of groundwater in this arid environment at the southern edge of the Antonio Ortiz grant.