Mission San Gregorio de Abo, New Mexico
Nestled in the heart of central New Mexico, the Mission San Gregorio de Abo stands as a silent testament to a rich and complex past. This site, a captivating blend of ancient Pueblo culture and early Spanish colonization, is a National Historic Landmark and a key component of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. The story of Abo is one of cultural exchange, adaptation, and eventual abandonment, leaving behind a legacy that continues to intrigue and educate visitors today.
A Land Steeped in History
The Salinas Valley, where Abo is located, boasts a history that stretches back millennia. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area was first inhabited as early as the 10th century by the Mogollon people. Later, the Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, arrived and left their mark on the landscape. The valley’s strategic location made it a crucial hub for trade between the tribes of the Rio Grande and those dwelling on the Western Plains.
The Pueblo ruins at Abo date back to around 1300, a period marked by significant prosperity and cultural advancement for the valley’s inhabitants. During this time, the Mogollon and Ancestral Puebloan traditions intertwined, giving rise to the Tompiro culture. The Tompiro people were known for their skills in craftsmanship, hunting, building, and agriculture. At its peak, Abo Pueblo was a thriving and impressive community, a testament to the ingenuity and resilience of its people.
The Arrival of the Spanish
The arrival of the Spanish in New Mexico in 1540 marked a turning point in the history of the region. Led by the explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, the Spanish expedition sought the fabled seven cities of gold. Instead, they encountered intricate Pueblo communities and the talented, economically sophisticated people who inhabited them. Coronado’s initial expedition paved the way for further Spanish forays into the area.
In 1598, Juan de Oñate encountered the Salinas Valley and the large Pueblo societies at Abo, Quarai, and Gran Quivira. By this time, the people of the region had evolved into one of the most advanced and economically powerful cultures in the American Southwest. Their mastery of craft-making, agriculture, and hunting allowed them to control the Indian trade routes with their abundance of goods. Their superior architectural skills were evident in the impressive stone-and-adobe homes that dotted the southwestern landscape.
Recognizing the value of the American Indians’ skilled labor, the Spanish established a permanent settlement and quickly implemented the encomienda system. This system demanded tribute and forced labor from the Indian inhabitants of the area. Spanish governors appointed ranking Spanish citizens to protect, educate, and civilize the Indians. In return, the Spanish collected tribute through labor, food, and material goods. However, the system was prone to abuse, and tensions between the Spanish and the Pueblo people began to rise.
Religious Conflict and Cultural Clash
Adding to the tensions was the religious pressure exerted by Franciscan friars on the American Indians. The clash of religions made it difficult for the missionaries to convert the Pueblo peoples, who were unwilling to abandon their sacred customs. These customs, they believed, brought good fortune to their communities. The Franciscans attempted to suppress these practices by informing the Indians that their salvation depended on their conversion to Christianity.
Despite the challenges, Spanish missionaries worked diligently to bring Catholicism to the approximately 1,500 natives living at Abo Pueblo. Fray Francisco Fonte established Mission San Gregorio de Abo around 1621, and by 1629, the prominent San Gregorio de Abo Church was completed. Built of red sandstone, the church featured a European-style buttress system that allowed for remarkably tall, thin walls. For the next 50 years, the church served as the center of mission activity. By 1641, the pueblo’s population had grown to more than 1,600.
The Franciscan missionaries introduced new religious ideas to the area and exposed the people of Abo to new species of domestic animals and plants, different agricultural practices, and Spanish goods. Archaeological and historical research at the site has revealed evidence of corrals and stables for livestock, such as sheep and goats, kept by the mission. The people of Abo consumed a combination of native foods, including corn, pumpkin, prickly pear, cholla, juniper, piñon nuts, yucca, amaranth, and turkey eggs, as well as European-introduced foods like grapes, plums, and peaches.
Artifacts discovered at the site, such as Chinese porcelain imported from the Philippines and Mexican Majolica and olive jar-style ceramics brought north from Mexico, demonstrate Abo’s material connections to the broader Spanish empire.
Decline and Abandonment
Despite the initial successes of the mission, the clash of cultures ultimately led to its failure. Many Tompiro people refused to abandon their sacred customs for new Catholic beliefs, especially as a series of droughts, epidemics, and Apache attacks plagued the Pueblo starting in the mid-1600s. These hardships served as evidence for many that Catholicism had angered their Tompiro gods.
By 1672, the Abo Pueblo and its mission had dwindled to only about 500 residents, a stark contrast to its former thriving community. Native inhabitants who abandoned Abo are believed to have joined their Piro-speaking relatives along the Rio Grande. By 1678, the pueblo was entirely unoccupied.
For over a century, Abo remained silent. In 1815, Spanish sheepherders attempted to return to the area, but they were driven out by Apache Indians in 1830. Permanent settlers finally returned in 1865.
Preservation and Legacy
Major excavation and stabilization efforts began when the site became a New Mexico State Historic Monument in the 1930s. In 1962, Abo was designated a National Historic Landmark, and in 1980, the ruins became part of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.
The Mission San Gregorio de Abo Church stands as the only extant example of a thin-walled, buttressed, 17th-century New Mexican church. It is also one of the earliest Spanish ruins in the Southwest. Approximately 40 percent of the original Pueblo buildings remain as ruins, and many have yet to be excavated, promising valuable archaeological information about the ancient peoples of the valley.
Today, a visit to the Abo site offers a glimpse into the complex interactions between the American Indian and Spanish cultures in the 17th century, interactions that have shaped modern New Mexico. The Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument provides interpreted tours and self-guided walks through the ruins of Abo, Quarai, and Gran Quivira pueblos and their associated Spanish missions: La Purisma Conception de Cuarac, San Buenaventura, and San Isidro. Recent stabilization efforts have made it possible for visitors to walk directly around and within the old walls of the Abo mission church and explore the largely unexcavated Pueblo structures.
Visiting Abo
The Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is located ten miles west of Mountainair, New Mexico, off Route 60. The main visitor center is located on the corner of Ripley and Broadway Streets in Mountainair. Admission is free at all times.
More Information:
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
PO Box 517
Mountainair, New Mexico 87036-0517
505-847-2585
The Mission San Gregorio de Abo stands as a poignant reminder of the cultural exchange, conflict, and resilience that have shaped the history of New Mexico. Its ruins offer a tangible connection to the past, inviting visitors to reflect on the enduring legacy of the Pueblo and Spanish peoples who once called this valley home.