History & Culture

 

Cloud Eagle & the Seasonal Dance Group from the Pueblo of Jemez stand together in Valle Grande during Fiesta en el Valle, 2019.

NPS

Valles Caldera National Preserve has the honor of protecting and interpreting the resources, stories, and voices that represent more than 11,000 years of human history and influence on this landscape.

Native American Heritage

Valles Caldera is of spiritual and ceremonial importance to numerous Native American peoples in the greater Southwest region. These cultural connections are both contemporary and of great antiquity, and the National Park Service respectfully seeks to uphold the values and prioritize the voices of the Tribes and Pueblos for whom this special place continues to be part of their practices, beliefs, identity, and history.

For thousands of years, Native American peoples have used the caldera for hunting all sizes of game, small mammals, and waterfowl; fishing; collecting an abundance of seeds, nuts, and berries; and gathering various plants for medicine and ceremonies. The signature resource for these indigenous peoples was obsidian. This high-quality volcanic glass gathered at extensive quarries in and near the caldera yielded valuable materials for spear points, arrowheads, knives, and scrapers. Obsidian artifacts from the last 12,000 years are abundant throughout the preserve and are found in ancient quarries, campsites, and even seasonally occupied small villages. Through scientific analysis, it is known that obsidian tools found across the United States were made from obsidian gathered at Valles Caldera, demonstrating the significance of this source and illustrating the extensive geographic ranges used by past hunter-gatherers, and perhaps indicating extensive trade of this high-value toolstone. Throughout prehistory and continuing today, this landscape has supported hunting and gathering to supplement agricultural subsistence. Numerous American Indian tribes and pueblos in the region have deep historic and cultural connections to the caldera that are expressed today through ceremonial activities, rich oral histories, and sacred traditions.

 

A man on horseback oversees a herd of grazing sheep in Valle Grande.

Courtesy of Mary Ann Bond Bunten

Anglo-European Land Use

Valles Caldera also chronicles the history of New Mexico’s enchantment and exploitation—from 19th century land use after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and sheep grazing under the partido system to subsequent cattle grazing, timber harvesting, and geothermal exploration. Beginning as a land grant in 1860, private ownership was held by a series of four families. The early name, Baca Location No. 1, was established at the beginning of the Cabeza de Baca era (1860–1899), and the lands were used for sheep grazing. During the Otero era (1899–1917) sheep grazing was increased, supplemented by ventures into sulphur mining and tourism at a location known as Sulphur Springs on the land grant’s western boundary. Sheep grazing peaked and then was replaced by cattle ranching during the Bond era (1917–1962). The last private owners (1962–2000) were the Dunigan family, who continued cattle operations while pursuing diversified ventures such as exploration of geothermal potential, movie filming, raising thoroughbred horses, and recreational fishing and elk hunting. Although logging had begun in the 1930s, it was dramatically increased in the early 1960s by non-landowners who held rights to the timber. By the time the Dunigans were able to halt the clear-cut logging in the early 1970s, the overwhelming majority of old-growth forests had been cut and more than 1,000 miles of logging roads had been built through the forests.

 

Cross-country skiers enjoy fresh snow at Valles Caldera.

NPS

Public Ownership

Valles Caldera was first established in 2000 as an unprecedented national experiment in public land management through the creation of the Valles Caldera Trust. The Valles Caldera Trust was a wholly-owned government corporation overseen by a board of trustees appointed by the president of the United States. Through the Valles Caldera Trust, the U.S. Congress sought to evaluate the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of decentralized public land management and ecosystem restoration. This 15-year experiment in public land management continues to contribute to the national dialogue on the role of protected areas for long-term economic and environmental sustainability along with innovative approaches to place-based and science-based adaptive management. On December 19, 2014, Valles Caldera National Preserve was designated as a unit of the national park system. After a brief transition period, the National Park Service assumed management of the preserve on October 1, 2015.

Today's visitors to Valles Caldera National Preserve are also a part of this landscape's rich human history. May our actions today show respect to those who came before us and to those who will follow after us.

To get involved in the park's future, please consider Working With Us, Volunteering, or submitting input for Park Planning projects.