When planning for our trip to northern New Mexico, I searched Google maps for “petroglyphs” and “ruins.” One of the places I found was Nogales Canyon Cliff House, just north of Gallina, located about 45 miles from our summer rental. We went to Nogales Canyon today, making a big circle drive of 100 miles. Nogales Canyon Cliff House was an amazing find!
From The New Mexico Anthropologist, “During the summer of 1937 five of the eight houses of a large unit located on the northern side of the Gallina river were excavated by Dr. and Mrs. Frank C. Hibben. The site is located some two and one-half miles from the junction of the Gallina and Chama rivers. The cliff house site was built approximately four hundred feet from the canyon floor on a very inaccessable ridge. Large quantities of pottery, stone implements, and many antler pieces were recovered by the excavators.” Carbon dating indicates the cliff dwelling was developed between 1050 and 1300. Nogales Canyon was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
We drove about 1.5 miles of rough dirt road to a small parking area next to an oil well. We followed a trail maintained by the New Mexico Youth Conservation Corp, another 1.5 miles along a dry wash, then up the side of the mountain. From the largest cliff house rooms, there were several rock walled rooms along the cliff site, moving away in a circular direction. The site was impressive, and all the more so because it was a rough hike up.
