About Ojito

Wilderness Values

Ojito contains approximately 11,000 acres and is characterized by dramatic land formations and rock structures, multi-colored badlands, as well as a multitude of cultural, archaeological, and paleontological sites.

The Pueblo of Zia recognizes numerous sites of religious and cultural significance in Ojito, as well as the surrounding wild lands. Zia maintains public access to Ojito. In order to ensure continued public access, the Pueblo of Zia has extended a remarkable gesture of good faith by including a limited waiver of sovereign immunity. This guarantees that if access is ever restricted to the public, the Zia has allowed itself to be brought into federal court. In another demonstration of its conservation goals, the Pueblo already begun to reintroduce prairie dogs onto adjacent tribal lands.

Cultural Values

The Greater Ojito Area is home to sites sacred to the Zia, Jemez, and Santa Ana Pueblos. A high density of cultural and archeological resources is found in the area including petroglyphs, kivas, and other PaleoIndian, Archaic, Pueblo, Navajo and Spanish cultural sites. Most predominant are religious and cultural sites, including large pueblo ruins, belonging to the ancestors of the modern Pueblo of Zia.

(adapted from an article by Jessica Townsend)

© Copyright 2007 Martin Heinrich
This site is made possible by:
The Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness,
The Sierra Club,
The Wilderness Society,
and the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance

For More Information on Ojito, contact the
New Mexico Wilderness Alliance
or the Rio Puerco Bureau of Land Management