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When in 1540, conquistadors of Spain traveled through what
is now Cibola County, they were in search of the legendary Seven
Cities of Gold. The Catholic priests that traveled with them
saw the opportunity to "convert" the pueblo people
to Catholicism. Today, you can visit and explore the many mission
churches that began when the priests arrived. There are seven
pueblo's in Cibola County. The pueblo people are alive and well
and invite the public to their pueblos and many of their celebrations.
Along the Ancient Way, Scenic Route 53, visitors will find El
Malpais National Monument, the Bandera Volcano and Ice Caves
and El Morro National Monument, which is home to some of the
oldest "inscriptions" (or petroglyphs) carved by prehistoric
Pueblo Indians and the Spaniards who came to the area. Additional
places of interest include: Chaco Culture National Historical
Park; the New Mexico Mining Museum, home of the only underground
uranium mining museum in the world; Bluewater Lake State Park;
Mt. Taylor, the Turquoise Mountain, one of the four sacred mountains
of the Navajo Indians; Zuni Mountain Historic Auto tour, which
explores the logging industry of the past; Historic Route 66
and the nostalgia it represents; and several casino's along the
way.
REDTT has a strong County Tourism Council (CTC) that meets
on the 2nd Thursday of each month, usually at the Futures Foundation
Building at 10a.m. For additional information, to become a member
and get involved in tourism in Cibola County, contact the REDTT
director at redtt@nmsu.edu
or call (505) 646-8009. REDTT is open to all persons interested
in tourism issues. The REDTT CTC bylaws of Cibola County are
available by contacting the REDTT project.
Towns in Cibola County include: Grants and Milan. Then there
are unincorporated areas and pueblos such as: Acomita Lake, Encinal,
Laguna, Mesita, North Acomita Village, Paguate, Paraje, Pinehill,
Seama, and Skyline-Ganipa. Learn more about Cibola County by
clicking on some of the following links:
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