Loading map...

1953 Map of Tetilla Peak

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Tetilla Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

La Bajada Mesa dominates this 1950s landscape, providing a clear view of the dramatic transition between the high volcanic plateaus and the valley floor. Historically significant transport corridors crisscross the terrain, including the legendary El Camino Real and the Pan American Highway, which parallel the older At & Sf Rr tracks in the southwest. The Santa Fe River carves through the Cañada de Santa Fe, a canyon that supported the settlement of La Bajada and the nearby La Bajada Mine.

Further east, the map reveals the ancient presence of Tsinat Ruins atop Tsinat Mesa, alongside more modern 1950s commerce like the Turquoise Trading Post near La Cienega. The land is heavily partitioned by historic land grants, including the South Bdy Caja Del Rio Grant and the North Bdy Mesita De Juana Lopez Grant, reflecting centuries of Spanish and Mexican land tenure systems that persist in the New Mexico high desert.