2017 Map of Red Mountain

About this map

Tunis sits along the northern corridor of this 2017 study of the high desert of Luna County. The landscape is dominated by the volcanic profile of Red Mountain, which rises sharply above the surrounding basin, and the Snake Hills to the southeast. Water movement in this arid environment is traced by the seasonal Jones Spring Draw, which cuts through the northeastern reaches of the quadrangle. The map details a transition from the structured transportation corridor of the I-10 Frontage Rd to a network of local routes with culturally evocative names like Pancho Rd Sw, Sombrero Rd, and Pearlonion Rd. These roads suggest a pattern of rural land division and ranching access that characterizes the modern Chihuahuan Desert landscape near the Mexican border.