New Mexico Photos 12

Thursday morning and going to see some Native American stuff today.
South off of I-40 onto Acoma Pueblo Indian land.
I came to see the Sky City.
Waiting on the shuttle bus to the top of the mesa.
And here we are. This is the San Estevan del Rey Mission Church. It was founded in 1629 to control and acculturate the people of the Acoma Pueblo. They do not allow photos inside the church.
Crow on a cross.
There were two female Acoma guides who walked us around the buildings atop the mesa.
They say that the Acoma have been living atop the mesa since the 11th century.
This big hole is used to capture rain water.
They also did not allow photos of the cemetery next to the church, but here it is from a distance.
These little adobe ovens, called hornos, are still used.
There is no electricity, water or sewer up on the mesa.
This big hole still has some water in it. Apparently they got some rain in the previous couple of days.
The Acoma used to live on that mesa called Enchanted Mesa before moving to White Rock Mesa where they are today. The guide said something about a severe storm which drove the Acoma to leave Enchanted Mesa.
A wider view from the top of the mesa,
These are the oldest homes on Sky City. I don't remember how old the guide said these were, so I'm going to say they are 650,000 years old. Yeah, that's probably right.
I'm sure these are more recent. They kind of look like apartments.
Lots and lots of ladders.
I think our guide said that this is her family's home.
This ladder leads up to the entrance of a kiva, which is a room for religious rituals. The Acoma kept theirs hidden because the Spanish missionaries would not have liked that one bit.
There is no sewer system, but they do have these buildings with toilets. I don't know how they dispose of the waste though.
There are two ways down from the top of the mesa, either ride the shuttle bus back down or take this trail. While I would have liked to try the trail, I opted for the shuttle.
Looking back up at the Sky City.
There was an accident on the eastbound side of I-40 that had traffic (mostly trucks) backed up for almost five miles with no exits and no alternative route. I'm glad I didn't have something like that happen on my route. It would have caused a delay of hours.
This part of the trip took me through the El Malpais National Conservation Area. This Junction Cave is part of a lava tube created by volcanic forces.
Dowa Yalanne is a steep mesa sacred to the Zuni people.
I hoped there would be something to see in the Zuni Pueblo, but there really wasn't. They don't allow photography without permit, like many other pueblos do as well. I didn't purchase one because there really didn't seem much of interest to photograph.
I did take a couple of pictures from the vehicle though. It's nothing but a small town where the Zuni live.
Staying on Route 66 again, this time at the El Rancho Hotel. R.E. Griffith, the brother of movie director D.W. Griffith, had it built in 1936. Those Griffith boys sure like their initials.
The lobby is amazing. It couldn't be more Western if John Wayne rode a horse up and down the stairs.
Actually John Wayne did stay at the El Rancho, as did movie stars such as Ronald Reagan, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Errol Flynn, Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck and Humphrey Bogart. The Griffith brothers encouraged film makers to shoot their Westerns in the Gallup area and use the El Rancho as a base for the production.
Most of the rooms are named for famous people who (probably) stayed there. But my room was the Howard Newsom room. I have no idea who that is.
The Road Runner Motel is long gone, but the old sign is still there. It's in a used car lot now.
The Lariat Lodge has been around since 1952 and is still there.
The Blue Spruce Lodge has one of those signs that would surely draw motorists looking for a place to stay after a long day's drive on Route 66.
The Arrowhead Lodge not so much, but it's right next door to the Blue Spruce.
The Hacienda Motel looks abandoned.
I'm starting to run out of things to say about some of these motels I know nothing about.
Like this one. I mean I guess I could mention that the roof is missing some tiles at the Colonial, but that's not that interesting.
The marquee under the Redwood Lodge sign says: CO LO R T VFR EEHBO HAU LP ARK F ORTW O
So enough with the motels. This is the Rex Museum. The building once housed a grocery and a brothel, though probably not at the same time. "Honey, I'm going to the grocery store to get some beans, mustard and a blowjob." There's a small local museum in there now.
When I say museum I really mean some rooms with a lot of miscellaneous old junk in it.
In the book on the left there are lots of dumb jokes and tricks you can send away for ranging from a low price of $0.10 to a pricey $0.50. On the right is a New York behind the scenes guide to give you the inside on the night life, rackets, free fun, chlorines (whatever that is), celebrities and how to tip. You know, the real low-down on the things you want to know. And it's uncensored! Hubba hubba!
Yeah, like I said, a big room full of random junk.
The August 7, 1945 edition of the Albuquerque Journal announcing the bombing of Hiroshima. There is also an article explaining that the mysterious explosion near Alamogordo a month earlier was the first test of the atomic bomb. It's amazing that the Army managed to keep the reason for such a large explosion that so many people saw from a distance a secret.
Look, rain drops on the windscreen! It's the first rain I saw all week.
Back to the El Rancho, all lit up to attract those weary motorists looking for a night's rest. I had dinner in the small hotel restaurant. Many of the items on the menu are named after celebrities. I enjoyed a delicious Patti Page patty melt.