San José de Gracia de Las Trampas

San José de Gracia de Las Trampas mission church is located in Las Trampas, a Spanish colonial village established in 1751, set in a beautiful mountain valley south of Taos on the old "High Road" (NM76). Originally a lay ...

Arcadia Mill- Millrace

The millrace was a narrow, board-lined channel that flowed behind the wall of the dam and carried water to the second mill site. After the water flowed through the millrace and turned the water wheel, it dropped into the plunge ...

Arcadia Mill- Area A

In addition to the mill facilities, Arcadia included a multi-ethnic village located in the uplands surrounding the low-lying industrial complex.  From 2009 to 2011, archaeologists from the UWF Division of Anthropology and Archaeology conducted archaeological excavations in the uplands north ...

El Santuario de Chimayo

Constructed from 1813 to 1816 as a private chapel, this small adobe church is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of Spanish Colonial architecture in New Mexico. Set in a large wall-enclosed garden, the church includes ...

Arcadia Mill- Twitchells Mill and Flume

In 1830, Joseph Forsyth sold the northeast corner of the property to Timothy Twitchell for $121.  Twitchell then began to construct his own sawmill, which shared the mill pond with Arcadia. From the mill pond, Twitchell’s Flume carried hewn timber ...

Arcadia Mill- Trails

Welcome to the Arcadia Hiking Trails. A helpful reminder is that hiking north or northeast will take guests away from the Visitor’s Center, and hiking south or southwest will bring hikers back. Our main trail, marked in orange, runs north ...

San Juan Pueblo

Europeans first visited San Juan Pueblo in 1541 during Coronado's expedition into the Southwest. In 1598 Juan de Oñate, colonizer of New Mexico, established his headquarters at San Juan. In 1680 the inhabitants participated in the Great Pueblo Revolt ...

Arcadia Mill- Dam and Blowout

Arcadia’s dam was constructed with layers of locally excavated ironstone as the foundation. The stacked ironstone, which ranged from 12 to 15 feet high, was covered with layers of dirt. At its completion, the dam stretched a half mile long ...

Arcadia Mill- Sawmill

In 1830, Joseph Forsyth partnered with Ezekiel and Andrew Simpson to construct the first sawmill at Arcadia. The dammed up water passed through the sluiceway to the waterwheel and powered the open-air mill.

The absence of walls allowed wind to ...

Santa Clara Pueblo

Santa Clara Pueblo was first visited in 1541 by part of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's expeditionary force. A mission was established in 1628 as a visita (satellite community) for San Juan Pueblo. In 1680 the inhabitants of Santa Clara ...