Compass American Guides the American Southwest

SOUTHWEST OVERVIEW The American Southwest's windswept mesas and storied rivers, its ancient ruins, and innovative cuisine attract artists, dreamers, curmudgeons, and an ever-increasing number of visitors. Many of the latter come to the Southwest in the hope of experiencing something unique and authentic. to do so, we suggest the following: Central New Mexico Here lie the Zuni and Acoma mesa-top villages, first visited by Spanish conquistadors in 1540. Fascinating road trips from Albuquerque wind through the Manzano Mountains and along the Turquoise Trail. Santa Fe The most beautiful city in the Southwest, Santa Fe is famous for its adobe houses, fine cuisine, and dramatic art scene. Sit for a long afternoon under the cottonwoods of Sena Plaza, tour the Palace of the Governors, and visit the art galleries on Canyon Road. Northern New Mexico eight pueblos line the routefrom Santa Fe to Taos along the Rio Grande. This is magnificent, high desert country, famous for the quality of its light, snow-capped peaks, and small mountain towns where descendants of early Spanish colonists farm and produce traditional crafts. Four Corners Wild and remote, the Four Corners is named for the spot where four states meet -- Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. In its many cliff dwellings and ruined cities, deserted even before the Spanish arrived, the ancient Anasazi once designed fine masonary buildings, fashioned peotry, listened to flute music, and drew pictographs on canyon walls. Today the Navajo, Ute, and Hopi reservations stretch across its horizons. Utah Canyonlands The vast canyons, arches, pinnacles, "reefs" and bizarre shapes carved into the red-rock mesas of the Colorado Plateau have earned this region the name of "standing-up country." Faced with such astounding geological wonders, the Mormon settlers bestowed upon them names that invoke both the holy and the outlandish: the Virgin River, Great White throne, Angel's Landing, and Zion, for instance; but also the Alligator and the Chinese wall of Bryce National Park. The great outback embraces sweeps of wilderness, such as Paria Canyon, where flash floods and quicksand are ever-present dangers. The Colorado River backs up behind Glen Canyon Dam to form Lake Powell, where the visitor can rent a boat and retreat to quiet shores and isolated red-rock canyons.Bultman, Bethany Ewald is the author of 'Compass American Guides the American Southwest', published 2000 under ISBN 9780679006466 and ISBN 067900646X.