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United States Interstate 25, Mile Marker 269 Welcome Center (Northbound lane) The Cerrillos Hills, site of ancient turquoise mines, seen here from the Welcome Center were worked by the Indians centuries before the arrival of the Spanish. The Cerrillos, "liittle hills," is regarded as the oldest mining district in the United States, and New Mexico is a major turquoise produce. Elevation 6,200 feet. La Bajada, or "the descent," marks the division between the Rió Arriba, or "upper river," and the Rió Abajo, or "lower river," sections of New Mexico. This steep and dangerous grade was long an obstacle to caravan traffic going from the Rió Grande Valley to Santa Fe. The first gold placer mining west of the Mississippi began with the discovery of the precious metal in the rugged Ortiz Mountains south of here in 1828, 21 years before the California gold rush. Since then, the district has produced more than 99,000 ounces of placer gold and gold is currently produced from lode deposits. April 2000 |
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