1954 Map of Loma Machete

About this map

The Town of Alameda Grant dominates the lower half of this landscape, reflecting the enduring legacy of Spanish and Mexican land grants in the high desert of New Mexico. Surveyed in the mid-1950s, the terrain is defined by a series of prominent lomas, or hills, including Loma Machete, Loma Barbon, and Loma Colorado de Abajo. Water management in this arid environment is clearly marked by infrastructure such as an Aqueduct, multiple Pipe Lines, and various windmills and water tanks scattered across the drainages. The complex network of dry washes, from the Arroyo de los Montoyas to the Arroyo de la Baranca, illustrates a natural drainage system flowing toward the Rio Grande valley just beyond the map's edge. Notable landmarks like Picuda Peak and the Laguna de las Vacas provide essential orientation for those studying the mid-century geography of Sandoval County.