Be sure to visit www.santafetrail.org/geocaching to learn about the PASSPORT ACTIVITY to accompany this Geo Tour. This container is a cammo, Bison-brand cannister and contains a logbook to sign, as well as some swag items. If you are participating in the Passport activity, the code word is located on the inside of the cannister, on the top of the lid and is clearly identified as Code Word. Permission to set caches has been obtained. We ask that all cachers please respect all property at the sites where our caches are set.
San Miguel del Vado is south of 1-25 and about 26 miles southwest of Las Vegas, NM. San Miguel was one of the first places where caravans crossed the Pecos River, and it was the first Hispanic settlement on the trail in New Mexico. For a time San Miguel was a port of entry, and traders often camped here. After Las Vegas was settled, San Miguel ceased to be important as a trail town and was bypassed. The old church at San Miguel was present throughout the trail period, and it still stands, although it has been remodeled. The plaza at San Miguel was formed by adjoining adobe houses and could be closed for defense against Indian raids. Settled in 1794, San Miguel del Vado retains its rectangular plaza, ringed by adobe homes and adobe ruins. Its fortress-like church, built in 1805, still celebrates Mass every Sunday. This was the first Spanish community encountered by westbound William Becknell party (under escort) and other early, Santa Fe-bound trail traffic.
This site is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.