El Rito Archaeological Tour with Ted Harsha

About this event

Three El Rito Sites

MEET: parking lot behind Market Street grocery DeVargas Mall

Distance: Around six miles Elevation change: Less than 100 feet Trail and uneven terrain Largest Tewa ruin in New Mexico Potluck lunch at Ted’s courtyard.

Ted Harsha will lead us to three archaeological sites in the El Rito area including Sapawe Pueblo, which is the largest Tewa site in New Mexico. Adolf Bandelier once described Sapawe “as the largest ruin in the Southwest”. We will hike (two hours) on a ridgeline to an overlook of the Pueblo and from there drive to the site. Nearby is an Earth Shrine which we will visit. This is about a 4 mile hike.

We will tour the Placitas town site, which is an early Spanish village from about 1805, with chapel ruin. 1 mile hike.

Next stop, Little Fry fluorite mine trailhead for a mile hike to a two-plaza Pueblo ruin.

We will tour in the morning, have a potluck lunch at Ted's courtyard and gallery in El Rito, and finish the tour following lunch. Lunch items can be dropped off at Ted's prior to the tour.

The highlight of this trip is to be able to spend the day with Ted. Thank you Ted for sharing your vast knowledge of the region with us, and your lovely home!

Release and Waiver. By attending, the Participant releases the Event Leaders from liability arising from the Event and assumes all risks of the Event, including: 1) injuries from falls, living things, pre-existing health conditions, vehicles, and weather, and 2) injuries resulting from the Event Leaders not undertaking the least risky option available (e.g., hiking a steep slope instead of a gentle slope) or not treating an injury in the optimal way (e.g., due to insufficient training). The preceding sentence supplements any other exculpatory arrangement to which the Participant is subject.

From Moderate Hiking for Mellow People