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2017 Map of San Miguel

Name: 2017 Topographic Map of San Miguel
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2017
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2017

About this map

The Rio Grande corridor in the Mesilla Valley defines this agricultural landscape, where an intricate network of irrigation channels and drains supports a string of rural communities. In the southern New Mexico desert, the towns of San Miguel, Santo Tomas, Mesquite, and Vado are interconnected by a sophisticated water system including the Chamberino Main Lateral, Mesilla Lateral, and Lake Drain. This complex infrastructure allows for intensive farming in a region otherwise dominated by dry features like Fillmore Arroyo and Mossman Arroyo.

Evidence of the local geography is seen in the prominence of Vado Hill to the east and La Mesa Lake to the south. The map details the transition from the fertile river bottomlands to the arid upland reaches of the Chihuahua Desert. Researchers can trace the path of historic routes through the valley, following the distribution of settlements like La Mesa and the development of local connectors such as Vine Rd and S Main St as they serve the agricultural economy.