Last updated: January 13, 2023
Place
El Cerro de Tomé (Tomé Hill)
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
approximately one-half mile east of the junction of NM 47 and Tomé Hill Rd. in Valencia County, NM
Significance:
A natural landmark that has served El Camino Real travelers for centuries.
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places
MANAGED BY:
Town of Tomé Land Grant
Amenities
1 listed
Trailhead
Its black basalt slopes rising 400 feet above the Rio Grande floodplain, 10 miles south of Isleta Pueblo, Tomé Hill marks a dramatic break in the flat landscape, drawing both the bird’s-eye view and the interest of visitors below. Their focal point is a cross-studded summit atop petroglyph-filled hillsides. All are modern-day reminders of Tomé Hill’s significance as a landmark on El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro and a place of multicultural spirituality from precontact times to today.
Site Information
Location (approximately one-half mile east of the junction of NM 47 and Tomé Hill Rd. in Valencia County, NM)
Today, Tomé Hill hosts one of New Mexico’s most vibrant Good Friday pilgrimage traditions, drawing countless hundreds of pilgrims who overflow area roadways as they walk from as far as Albuquerque to the site. The hill is also a year-round destination for those seeking recreation who are drawn to its natural beauty for a short day hike or hilltop meditation. Whatever their reasons for coming, all choose a pathway up Tomé Hill that leads a personal sacred or secular mission to the top.
The site is open to the public year round with limited wheelchair access in Tomé Hill Park.
Safety Considerations