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2011 Map of Monero

Name: 2011 Topographic Map of Monero
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2011
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2011

About this map

Monero serves as the industrial and social anchor of this high-plateau landscape, where the coal mining history of Rio Arriba County is clearly preserved. The settlement is surrounded by a dense network of extraction sites, including the Western Fuel Company Mine, Barney Quaranto Mine, and the Caranta Mines, reflecting a legacy of resource development along the southern reaches of Monero Canyon. This area exhibits a distinct pattern of land use where rugged mesas like Abeyta Mesa and Vigil Mesa are interspersed with established family holdings such as Abeyta Ranch and Gonzales Ranch.

Water management is vital to this arid environment, evidenced by the Crowley Irrigation System Dam and Crowley Reservoir in the northeast. These engineered features, alongside natural landmarks like Amargo Creek and the Reed Escarpment, illustrate the transition between industrial mining operations and the ranching culture that persists across the Valle Diamante. Rural access is marked by routes such as Cemetery Rd, connecting the scattered homesteads and work sites across the high desert terrain.