Don’t anticipate the primitive La Bajada Hill alignment of Route 66 southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, to be reopened to off-roaders or hikers anytime soon.
A pueblo group recently accused the U.S. Bureau of Land Management of not doing enough to protect sacred sites in the Caja del Rio Plateau area (aka La Bajada) after an ancient petroglyph site was desecrated, reported the Albuquerque Journal.
The newspaper reported spraypaint and scratches on petroglyphs were discovered in late January. One photograph shows “Andres” etched into one of the rocks.
Julia Bernal, director of Pueblo Action Alliance, said some of the area was being used as a shooting range, despite portions of it being Native American sacred sites. BLM spokeswoman Julia Aragon said they were doing the best they can with the resources available.
“Our agency manages millions of acres and we do the best we can to manage and maintain, and this area is actually one of the most patrolled areas that we have in the Taos Field Office area,” she said. No suspects in the desecration have been identified as far as she is aware, Aragon said. […]
The BLM has an “ongoing relationship with our tribal partners,” Aragon said. “I’ll share that with our leadership team that that (consultation) is being requested,” Aragon said.
“We are dedicated to preserving this area and doing our best to clean up the damage that was done,” Aragon said.
The vandalism cleanup is in the works and special products were ordered with the goal of removing the graffiti in a “delicate procedure” done with the help of professionals, while preserving the petroglyphs, she said.
The Cochiti Pueblo blocked access to La Bajada Hill in mid-2017, citing damage to the area.
Kaisa Barthuli, program director for the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, in 2005 admonished Route 66 enthusiasts to behave themselves after an instance of spraypainted graffiti was found at La Bajada Hill. She warned that federal or tribal officials might close the site if the vandalism persisted.
The twisting and treacherous path up the side of the mountain was part of El Camino Real, dating to the 1600s.
During the early 20th century, the trail became New Mexico Highway 1. It became Route 66 in 1926 until 1932, when the highway was realigned.
(Vintage postcard of La Bajada Hill via 66Postcards.com)