El Morro National Monument

El Morro National Monument, western New Mexico, established 1906. The outstanding feature of the monument is a sandstone rock 60 m (200 ft) high, known as the Inscription Rock because it bears the carved names of Spanish explorers and early American immigrants and settlers. The earliest such inscription in the soft sandstone is that made in 1605 by Juan de Oñate, Spanish governor and colonizer of New Mexico. Native American symbols and pictures are also carved in the rock, and on its top are prehistoric pueblo ruins. Area, 517 hectares (1,279 acres).

Reviewed by: National Park Service