1883 Map of Mt. Taylor

About this map

The massive volcanic prominence of Mt Taylor dominates the landscape of West-Central New Mexico in this late nineteenth-century survey. The terrain transitions from the high peaks of the San Mateo Mts and the Zuni Mts to the extensive Lava Bed south of Grants. Human settlement is concentrated primarily along the southern corridor where the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad follows the San Jose River through traditional Pueblo lands near Laguna and McCartys. North of the peaks, isolated settlements like San Mateo and Cebolletta represent the era’s high-desert frontier, connected by scattered water sources such as Willow Spring and Coal Spring. The map documents a significant military presence at Old Fort Wingate near the Ojo del Gallo spring, a vital water source in this arid region of Mesa and mountain.