Seeing Albuquerque on Your Philmont New Mexico Tour
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Albuquerque
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Despite its post-World-War-II growth due largely to science-based industries, Albuquerque still preserves the influence of its earlier Indian and Spanish culture. There is enough to do, in town and nearby, that Albuquerque makes a good base for a day or two on Philmont trips. Albuquerque was our first stop. We spent two nights and a very full touring day there.
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
The Pueblo Cultural Center provides an excellent introduction to Pueblo culture. It includes a museum, an extensive gift shop with Native American art works and crafts, and a restaurant with Pueblo foods. We took a guided tour of the museum which reflects the Pueblo Indian's perspective on Spanish colonization and the mistreatment of the Indians that led to the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. It also includes examples of the distinctive pottery of each of the pueblos. Our guide provided clear explanation of the exhibits as well as personal commentary on the relative merits of traditional and modern Indian art forms. If you are in Albuquerque on a Saturday or Sunday, try to schedule your visit to see one of the twice-a-day Indian dances in the central courtyard. The Center is also a resource for finding out what there is to see at the pueblos, including dance days etc. Open 9:00-5:30 at 2401 12th NW. Phone: 505-843-7270 x336. See IPCC page or IPCC new site.Old Town Albuquerque
Old Town incorporates Albuquerque's old Plaza and the area has many museums, restaurants, shops, and galleries. Note the bandstand and canons in the center of the Plaza. See Old Town.
Albuquerque Museum of Art and History -- Our Philmont crew skipped this one, but it is conveniently located in Old Town and provides the story of Albuquerque from the times of Spanish explorers through Route 66. Includes history and art exhibits. Call 505-242-4600 or see the Albuquerque Museum.
Rattlesnake Museum -- Near the SE corner of Old Town Plaza Albuquerque. Claims to have the largest public collection of rattlesnakes in the world. See many kinds of live rattlesnakes. Includes a gift shop. Small admission fee. Phone: 505-242-6569; See Rattlesnake Museum.
National Atomic Museum -- This museum, now located near Old Town, has exhibits on the evolution of delivery systems for atomic weapons. It includes a video about the Enola Gay and mock-up examples of bombs and missiles. The real B-29 and B-52 airplanes and missiles did not make the move from Kirtland Air Force Base when the museum relocated in 2002. This is the best museum if you are interested in ordnance. We opted, instead, for the Bradbury museum in Los Alamos for a greater focus on the history of the development of the bomb. Phone 505-245-2136. See Atomic Museum.
University of New Mexico
Particularly if you stay on campus (see where to stay), you may want to take advantage of the UNM location for activities.Campus Tour
Our Scouts enjoyed a student-led tour of the UNM campus which we arranged through the UNM Visitor Center (505) 277-2260. Gets your Scouts thinking about college. See UNM tour. This activity received mixed reviews from scouts and scouters.Maxwell Museum
We visited the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology (505-277-1547) and its exhibits on the ancestors and people of the southwest, including prehistoric pottery. We could have made this visit shorter; one hour would be enough for the typical Scout group. Without a guide (which the museum seems not to have available in the summer months) some of the Scouts lacked the background to fully appreciate the exhibits. A good place for a short visit if you are already on campus and have the time, especially if your group has a particular interest in anthropology of the southwest. But, if you have to choose, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center or National Atomic Museum would probably be a better pick for the typical Scout group. See Maxwell Museum.Cool and Unusual
I-40/I-25 Intersection
Be sure to note as you pass, what may be the coolest Interstate Highway intersection in the U.S., with turquoise and pinkish-earth-tone flying conneting ramps.Tinkertown Museum
If you are passing on the way to Sandia Crest or the Turquoise Trail area, this may be worth an hour stop. Almost 50 years of wood carvings and memorabilia, some carvings in animated displays representing old west and circus themes. See Tinkertown Museum."From across the creek of Santa Fe and from the ravines opening out of all the hills that circled the capital north and east moved an array of sparkling figures, jagged with feathers and lances like bristles, and dark like the scrubby evergreens that clung everywhere to the land. It was a force of twenty-five hundred Indians converging on the plaza. They went through every street and around every house, choking all exits from the city. They swarmed on rooftops making their death music."
Paul Horgan on the Pueblo Revolt of 1680
"Founded in 1889, the University of New Mexico now occupies 600 acres along old Route 66 in the heart of Albuquerque... UNM offers a unique campus environment with a Spanish Pueblo Revival architectural theme."
UNM.edu
"If you're angry and if you are making pots with bitter feelings toward others or towards something, your pots will act accordingly."
Dora Tse Pena
potter, San Ildefonso Pueblo