In central New Mexico, the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument protects the sites of three Pueblos and the ruins of three Spanish missions near Mountainair, New Mexico. The site protects the remains of the San Buenaventura and San Isidro churches at Gran Quivira, the Mission of San Gregorio at Abo, and the Quarai Church at the Pueblo of Quarai.

Over 2,000 years ago, the ancestors of the Pueblo peoples, the Anasazi and Mogollon Indians, settled in the present-day area of Mountainair, New Mexico. Here, the traditions of both cultures overlapped to develop the unique Tiwa and Tompiro-speaking pueblos of Abó, Gran Quivira, and Quarai. These ancient peoples borrowed from one another and adapted to environmental changes by creating new traditions that helped them survive. The adaptability of the Pueblo Indians proved useful centuries later when the Spanish entered their world.

Spanish explorers first learned of the Pueblo communities in 1540, when Francisco Vázquez de Coronado led an expedition to New Mexico in search of the seven cities of gold. In his travels, he encountered a Plains Indian he called the Turk, who informed him of the existence of the wealthy city of Quivira. Coronado and his men followed the Indian to the city, but to their displeasure, the Spanish learned that the Turk had tricked them and that the city did not exist. After Coronado ordered the Plains Indians killed, the Spanish ended their expedition to find Cibola and returned to Mexico. Although they returned empty-handed, Coronado’s expedition did not discourage other explorers from returning to the region. In 1598, Juan de Oñate led a party of Spanish missionaries and settlers back to New Mexico. In their travels, they encountered the resourceful Pueblo communities of Abó, Quarai, and Gran Quivira, where Oñate established a permanent colony for New Spain that he called Sal—the Spanish word for salt—which was abundant throughout the Salinas Valley.

By this time, the descendants of the Anasazi and Mogollon Indians had already evolved into one of the most advanced and economically powerful cultures in the American Southwest. The Pueblo Indians, who had perfected their craft-making, agricultural, and hunting techniques, controlled the Indian trade routes with their abundance of goods. Because of their superior architectural skills, their impressive stone-and-adobe homes dominated the southwestern landscape. The Spanish found the Pueblo pottery, farming, and building techniques impressive. Recognizing the value of the American Indians’ skilled labor, they developed the encomienda system, which eventually led to the exploitation of the Pueblo people. Under the encomienda system, the governor appointed ranking Spanish citizens to protect, educate, and civilize a group of Indigenous peoples. In return, the Spanish collected tribute in the form of labor, food, and material goods. Eventually, the Spanish began abusing the system, and tensions grew as Franciscan friars attempted to help the Pueblo people. However, the church was powerless against the government, and the lucrative system continued.

The encomienda was not the only system that created tension in the Salinas Valley; conflict also grew from the religious pressure Franciscan friars placed on the American Indians. The clash of religions made it difficult for missionaries to convert Pueblo peoples, who were unwilling to abandon sacred customs they believed brought good fortune to their communities.  The most important of these customs was the Kachina dance that the Pueblo peoples performed to bring rain, health, and abundant crops to their gods. The Franciscans attempted to stop the Pueblo people from performing these customs by informing the Indians that their people’s salvation depended on their conversion to Christianity. The Franciscans also established three mission churches, one at each of the pueblos in the Salinas Valley, where they added to the existing adobe structures that the Pueblo peoples had built before the coming of the Spanish.

In 1621, Fray Francisco Fonte arrived in New Mexico and soon established his mission at the Pueblo of Abó. Initially, Friar Fonte converted the adobe buildings of the Pueblo peoples into temporary convents, where he gradually introduced the Pueblo peoples to Christian traditions. Once the Pueblo residents trusted him, Fray Fonte began building the first mission church at Abó. By 1627, the Church of San Gregorio was finished. Around the same time, Fray Juan Gutierrez de la Chica, who led the mission efforts at the Pueblo of Quarai, began construction of the church and convento of La Purísima Concepción de Quarai. Two years later, Fray Francisco Letrado arrived at his assignment in Gran Quivira, also known as Las Humanas, where he constructed the churches of San Isidro and San Buenaventura.

The Abó, Quarai, and Gran Quivira missions were successful until Spanish officials began dictating how church officials should convert American Indians. They complained that the Pueblo people spent more time studying Christianity than providing labor and began pressuring the Franciscan Friars to accelerate the conversion process. Although the missionaries wished to influence the American Indians gradually to give up their old religious traditions, they were less potent than government forces. Eventually, this conflict between church and state led the Franciscan friars to destroy the Kachina masks and burn all kivas — sacred places where Pueblo peoples performed rituals and prayed to their gods. Ultimately, attempts to suppress the Pueblo peoples’ ancient religious beliefs failed.

Although the Pueblo Indians were adaptable and could withstand environmental and social changes, the Spanish, particularly their diseases, proved too strong for them. As drought, epidemics, and natural disasters began to decimate the population of the Salinas Valley, the Pueblo people felt they had insulted the spirits. When the Christian God failed to help the community, the community returned to its old beliefs. As each Salinas pueblo fell victim to epidemics, the surviving Pueblo peoples began to leave the region and seek refuge with their kinfolk in neighboring towns. By 1672, the once-thriving community of 10,000 inhabitants had been reduced to 500. By 1678, the Spanish and Pueblo peoples had abandoned the Salinas Valley entirely.

The area was first proclaimed Gran Quivira National Monument on November 1, 1909, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in October 1966. It was enlarged on December 19, 1980, and two of the New Mexico State Monuments, Abó and Quarai, were incorporated into it in November 1981. It was renamed on October 28, 1988.

Today, the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument preserves the history and heritage of the Pueblo societies and Spanish missions of Abó, Gran Quivira, and Quarai, which continue to stand as reminders of a time when the cultures of the American Indians and the Spanish converged.

The Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is ten miles west of Mountainair, New Mexico, off Route 60. The main visitor center is located on the corner of Ripley and Broadway Streets in Mountainair. Admission is free at all times.

The Quarai Ruins are located about eight miles north of Mountainair. There is a visitor center and a half-mile trail through the ruins. The Gran Quivira Ruins are located about 25 miles south of Mountainair. There is a small visitor center near the parking lot, and a half-mile trail leads through partially excavated pueblo ruins and the ruins of the uncompleted mission church. The Abó pueblo ruins are located about nine miles west of Mountainair.