Engle Lake, originally named ''Laguna del Muerto'' (Lake of the Deadman) by the Spanish, is a seasonal

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

in the

Jornada del Muerto Jornada del Muerto was the name given by the Spanish conquistadors to the Jornada del Muerto desert Endorheic basin, basin, and the almost waterless trail across the Jornada beginning north of Las Cruces, New Mexico, Las Cruces and ending sout ...

region in Sierra County,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. It lies at an elevation or in the depression in the Jornada Del Muerto basin.George D. Torok, From the Pass to the Pueblos, Sunstone Press, Santa Fe, Dec 1, 2011
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History

Laguna del Muerto was an important

paraje Paraje, a Spanish term meaning in English place or spot. Paraje is a term from the original Spanish speaking settlers, in use among English speakers in the southwestern United States, particularly in New Mexico, that refers to a camping place alon ...

along the route of the

Camino Real de Tierra Adentro El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (), also known as the Silver Route, was a Viceroyalty of New Spain, Spanish road between Mexico City and San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, San Juan Pueblo (''Ohkay Owingeh''), New Mexico (in the modern U.S.), that wa ...

in the

. It provided seasonal water and grass that grew in the lake bottom as the surface water dried up and even afterward the lake bottom retained the water within it for the grass. Once the lake was dry the only water available was at a

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

, Ojo del Muerto, six miles to the west in Cañon del Muerto in the southern Fra Cristobal Range.

References

Jornada del Muerto Bodies of water of Sierra County, New Mexico Lakes of New Mexico {{NewMexico-geo-stub