El Rito Archaeological Tour with Ted Harsha

Three El Rito Sites

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!