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This site is owned, designed, and operated by Kenneth A. Larson who has over a quarter century of experience in design and construction of scenery for the Entertainment Industry and Theme Parks using Computer Aided and Traditional approaches to Design. Ken also has experience in other areas of Design.
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Select photographs of my many visits to The Missions of the United States South and Southwest built by Spain and Mexico between 1565 and 1823. All photographs taken by Kenneth A. Larson. All rights reserved. © 2008 - 2026. |
Founded 1626
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| I was returning from Texas, where I have seen many Mission related sites, and prior to this trip, I had only seen one New Mexico Mission. This was my second Mission for this day, following Gran Quivira, one of the other two Missions in Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monuments. I spent about an hour and a half at each of the three Missions, then visited three more Missions before dark. I wandered about the red sandstone ruins thinking of when this was a populous pueblo. |
 Mission Art & Photo-Art |
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The early Puebloan peoples arrived in the Salinas Valley around the A.D. 1200s and they settled Quarai about 50 years later. From about 1400 until about 1600, the area seemed to be uninhabited. Although the Spanish visited the Salinas Valley as early as 1540, it is believed that the Spanish missionaries did not become active at Quarai until 1626. Father Estevan de Perea arrived in Quarai in 1610 and Fray Juan Gutiérrez de la Chica was sent to Quarai in December of 1625, to begin new missionary work. Construction began in 1627 and continued until 1632. The church, while now deteriorated is still considered one of the best preserved of the churches. The church measured about 108 feet long and 28 feet wide, with walls about 40 feet tall made of the same red sandstone averaging 4.5 feet with some sections 10 feet thick. The church originally had two bell towers, but they collapsed long ago. At its peak, the pueblo had approximately 1,000 rooms and 600 to 700 residents. Fray Estevan de Perea assume leadership in 1633. The Mission experienced many problems including excessive demands by the Spanish, droughts, famine, disease, and raids by Apache and Camanche. The Mission was largely completed by 1629 and virtually abandoned by 1678 with the people moving to Tajique and Islata. Settlers did return in the early 1800s and constructed some new structures. Quarai became a New Mexico State Monument in the early 1930 and part of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monuments in 1981. Quarai has been stabilized and partly excavated, but much of the original village remains buried. |
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North of Mountainair (Mountainair is on US 60), off of SR 55 About 8 miles north of the Visitor Center in Mountainair at the corner of Ripley and Broadway Streets. |
 Sign. |
 Sign, Respect the Rattlesnakes. |
 Entry. |
 Path to the ruins. |
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| The remains of the stone church. | |
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| The remains of the stone church. | |
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| The remains of the stone church. | |
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| The remains of the stone church. | |
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| The remains of the stone church. | |
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| The remains of the stone church. | |
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| The remains of the stone church. | |
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| The remains of the stone church. | |
 Low ruins. |
 Low ruins. |
 Grass growing on top of a ruined wall. |
 Wall ruins. |
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| Crumbling walls of buildings. | |
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| Crumbling walls of buildings. | |
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| Crumbling walls of buildings. | |
 Low ruins. |
 Bridge to Soanish Corral Trail. |
 Not part of the Mission, I noticed this more modern church on the way back to the highway. |
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| Note:This is not the official site for any of the places shown in US Mission Trail. US Mission Trail is not responsible for accuracy of the information. Hours of operations, prices, and exhibits are subject to change without notice. |
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This site maintained by Kenneth A. Larson. Copyright © 2004 - 2023, Kenneth A. Larson. All Rights Reserved. Website content including photographic and graphic images may not be redistributed for use on another website. |
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