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The Galisteo Basin is a surface basin and a closely related groundwater basin in north-central
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 ...
.  Its primary watercourse is the Galisteo River or Galisteo Creek, a
perennial stream A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long, large stream ...
, for part of its course, that flows from the eastern highlands down into the
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...
about three miles above the Santo Domingo Pueblo. The Galisteo basin covers approximately 467,200 acres and runs from San Miguel County in the east, across Santa Fe County, and into
Sandoval County Sandoval County () is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 148,834, making it the fourth-most populous county in New Mexico. The county seat is Bernalillo. Sandoval County is part of th ...
at its westernmost point, the Rio Grande."Watershed Restoration Action Strategy for the Galisteo Creek Watershed"
/ref> Northeast of Galisteo Basin rise the
Sangre de Cristo Mountains The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish language, Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost mountain range, subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountai ...
and to the southwest lie the
Sandia Mountains The Sandia Mountains (Tiwa language, Southern Tiwa: ''Posu gai hoo-oo'', Keres language, Keres: ''Tsepe,'' Navajo language, Navajo: ''Dził Nááyisí''; Tewa language, Tewa: ''O:ku:p’į'', Taos language, Northern Tiwa: ''Kep’íanenemą''; J ...
. Because of its location lying between mountain ranges and connecting the upper Rio Grande Valley with the
Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
, the Galisteo Basin was used as a trade route by prehistoric and historic indigenous and later also by the Spanish explorers.


Geology

left, looking out over the Galisteo Basin at sunset, alt=the Ortiz Mountains, Sandia Mountains, and Manzano Mountains are visible in the background. The Galisteo Basin drains the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, shares its northern drainage divide (height of land) with the Santa Fe Basin and its eastern drainage divide with the Pecos Basin. To the west it is bounded by the Rio Grande, and to the south by the drainage divide with the Estancia Basin, by the Ortiz Mountains. and the drainage divide with the Arroyo de la Vega de la Tanos, which flows off the western slopes of the Ortiz Mountains. 


Hydrology

left, the rim of the Galisteo Basin closest to Santa Fe, alt=a road sign by a paved road cresting a hill The north fork of the Galisteo River arises in the southern
Sangre de Cristo Mountains The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish language, Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost mountain range, subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountai ...
on the slopes of Thompson Peak and Glorieta Baldy. It includes flow from Grasshopper Canyon Creek, Deer Creek and Apache Canyon Creek. It is joined by the east fork just south of the town of Galisteo. The east fork of the Galisteo River, also known as the San Cristobal Arroyo, flows off of Rowe Mesa and Glorieta Mesa. A major tributary of the east fork is Padre Springs Creek. The south fork joins the river about below the east fork. The south fork of the Galisteo River, also known as the Arroyo de la Jara, drains from the eastern and southern slopes of the basin. Its major contributor is Gaviso Arroyo. After the three fork join, the river flows northwest for about into the Rio Grande. The tracks of the BNSF railroad run beside the Galisteo River for most of this distance, turning south about 2 miles before the river enters the Rio Grande. After the three fork join, the river receives flow from the north off the height of land south of the city of Santa Fe, including Gallina Arroyo, San Marcos Arroyo and Canada de la Cueva. From the south it receives flow off the eastside of the Ortiz Mountains from Arroyo la Joya, Arroyo Canamo, Cunningham Creek, and Arroyo Viejo.


History

The Galisteo Basin has a rich cultural history being a part of
Pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...
culture (Eastern
Anasazi The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as Ancestral Pueblo peoples or the Basketmaker-Pueblo culture, were an ancient Native American culture of Pueblo peoples spanning the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southea ...
). It is widely considered one of the most impressive
archeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeology ...
sites in the United States. Most of the sites are currently closed to the public. The most famous Pueblo ruin within the basin is San Cristobal Pueblo. From the 14th to the early 15th century, the pueblos in Galisteo Basin were trade centers. After 1680, the basin was abandoned. Various peoples, known and unknown, inhabited the area, including the Tano (Arizona Tewa), East Rio Grande
Keresan Keres (), also Keresan (), is a Native American language, spoken by the Keres Pueblo people in New Mexico. Depending on the analysis, Keres is considered a small language family or a language isolate with several dialects. If it is considered a ...
, Pecos, and
Tewa The Tewa are a linguistic group of Pueblo people, Pueblo Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans who speak the Tewa language and share the Pueblo culture. Their homelands are on or near the Rio Grande in New Mexico north of San ...
.


See also

*
Ancestral Puebloans The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as Ancestral Pueblo peoples or the Basketmaker-Pueblo culture, were an ancient Native American culture of Pueblo peoples spanning the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southe ...
* Galisteo, New Mexico *
Geography of the United States The term "United States," when used in the geographic sense, refers to the contiguous United States (sometimes referred to as thLower 48 including the District of Columbia not as a state), Alaska, Hawaii, the five insular territories of Pue ...
*
Pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...


Citations


Further reading

* Lippard, Lucy R. (2010). ''Down Country: the Tano of the Galisteo Basin, 1250–1782''. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Museum of New Mexico Press. . * Mednick, Christina Singleton (1996). ''San Cristobal: Voices and Visions of the Galisteo Basin''. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Museum of New Mexico Press. {{ISBN, 978-0-89013-292-0.


External links


Excavations within rectangular rooms of laid adobe bricks, Galisteo Basin

Galisteo Basin Archaeological

Galisteo Basin Preserve: Cultural History

Galisteo Basin Preserve: Natural Features

Galisteo Basin Preserve: Regional Map

Galisteo Basin Archeological Sites Protection Act
(PDF)


"Archaeology and the Public in the Galisteo Basin"
(PDF), James E. Snead (Fall 2005), ''Archaeology Southwest'', Volume 19, Number 4 category:archaeological sites in New Mexico category:landforms of Santa Fe County, New Mexico category:watersheds of the United States