The earliest Indian pueblo in the Monument was founded about 1300 A.D.; by the 1600’s, the village, with several structures, had become the largest in the region. It was conveniently located on the south side of a hill near the cultivated fields in the surrounding lowlands. Water was a problem then as now. The Indians solved this as best they could by digging shallow wells at the base of the hill, about one mile west of the pueblo.
The first known specific reference to Gran Quivira was made in 1630 by Fray Alonso de Benavides, a Franciscan missionary. He called the pueblo the “Village of the Humanas,” and referred to the church there as having been built by Father Francisco Letrado in 1629 and dedicated to San Isidro. Humanas, now misnamed “Gran Quivira,” was later administered from the mission of San Gregorio de Abo, some forty miles to the north. In 1659, Father Diego de Santander was assigned to Humanas. Construction of the mission buildings, which he rededicated to San Buenaventura, was completed by him.
The Franciscans had a pronounced influence upon the Pueblo Indians. They stimulated trade with Mexico and the pueblos farther north. They imported wine grapes and cultivated them, and they introduced domesticated sheep, goats, cattle, and horses.
Sometime between 1672 and 1675, the pueblo and mission at Humanas were abandoned because of Apache raids, drought, and crop failures. The people first moved to the Rio Grande near the present town of Socorro. A few continued to El Paso del Norte, where, in 1680, they were joined by those from Socorro, who had fled with the Spaniards from the Pueblo Revolt of that year.
El Morro National Monument
El Morro National Monument, southwest of Grants near Ramah, was established to preserve the famous Inscription Rock, register of Indians, Spaniards, and westward-moving pioneers. About 22,000 people now visit the Monument each year.
El Morro, or Inscription Rock, is a massive mesa point of sandstone. Rising some 200 feet above the valley floor, it forms a striking landmark. From its summit, rain and melted snow drain into a natural basin at the foot of the cliff, creating a constant and dependable supply of water in a region where water is scarce. The route from Acoma to the Zuni pueblos led directly past the mesa. It was a regular camping place for Spanish conquistadores and, later, for travelers from the east.
On the top of El Morro lie ruins of Indian pueblos, abandoned long before the coming of the Spaniards. And carved in the sandstone are numerous petroglyphs left by these ancient people, ancestors of the modern Zunis. Perhaps it was the petroglyphs that prompted later travelers to record their names and thoughts on the rock.
The first known historical mention of El Morro is found in the journal of Diego Pérez de Luxán, chronicler of the Espejo Expedition of 1583. Luxán stopped there for water on March 11 of that year.
