Name the second National Monument created, and hint, it missed being first by two months

El Morro National Monument, created in 1906 (Devil’s Tower was the first and was created a couple months prior). “El Morro”, the Headland. There is a lot going on for a small National Monument, and a gem to visit.  First, the ancient Puebloans visited this area several thousand years ago. Followed by the Zuni that built Antsinni Pueblo (“place of writing on the rocks”) on top of El Morro in the late 1200s. Antsinni is estimated to have contained over 350 rooms and housed over 400 people.

El Morro’s sandstone cliffs contain a time stamp of past travelers with inscriptions beginning as early as 1605 with Spanish Conquistadors, the Mexican-American war, and settlers migrating to the new west. Lastly, the sandstone geology is fantastic to watch as the sun and clouds constantly change the sandstone colors.