In this broad, arid valley just west of Albuquerque El Moro National Monument preserves a wondrous site.   Fresh water pools year-round at the base of a towering sandstone bluff. Water and wind through the eons have carved away the center of the monolith leaving a shear-walled box canyon that is lushly green compared to all around it.

It is no surprise that this place has been a stop over for humans for hundreds of years. Atop the cliffs we see ruins of Ancestral Puebloan community, Atsinna, built over 800 years ago.  Their petroglyphs can still be seen along the cliffs.  The site proved inviting to many more travelers.  Thousands of carved inscriptions litter the faces of the sandstone headland proving the passing of Spanish explorers and gold seekers in the early 1600s and evidence of wave upon wave of early American westward moving pioneers.  What a magnificent example of the ever present human need to leave a lasting mark on this world we live in.

The trail to the top is worth the effort. Views are fantastic and rock formations amazing