Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
322
If you're craving a cappuccino or latte while in Socorro, head to the
Manzanares Coffee
House
, 110 Manzanares St. (
&
575/838-0809
). As well as coffee drinks, the shop
offers good sandwiches on foccacia bread, salads, and house-made gelato and sorbet.
Manzanares also offers Wi-Fi access.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
El Camino Real International Heritage Center
This museum, opened in
2005, tells the story of El Camino Real, the 1,500-mile international trade route from
Mexico to San Juan Pueblo, near Santa Fe. The impressive $5-million, 20,000-square-
foot structure, set in the middle of the desert, is an award-winning building, perched like
a ship above Sheep Canyon, between Socorro and Truth or Consequences. In fact, the
center is designed with ship elements, including a bowsprit on the helm. “The journey
across the Jornada del Muerto reminded travelers of crossing the sea, with its tufts of
grass, mirages, and overwhelming silence,” says Monument Ranger Dave Wunker. The
real fun starts in the exhibit hall, where visitors get to travel the trail themselves, begin-
ning at Zacatecas Plaza in Mexico, one of many stops along the road. Artifacts from the
Camino days—
a caja fuerte
(strong box) and an Apache water jug—help tell the story,
though my one complaint about the museum is that it's a bit short on artifacts, which
may be remedied as it matures. Excellent period photos and some high-tech displays help
fill the gap.
C.R. 1598, 30 miles south of Socorro. From I-25, take exit 115 and follow the signs.
&
575/854-3600.
www.caminorealheritage.org. Admission $5 adults; free for children 15 and under. Daily 8:30am-5pm.
11
Old San Miguel Mission
Built from 1615 to 1626, but abandoned during the
Pueblo Revolt of 1680, this graceful church was subsequently restored, and a new wing
was added in 1853. It boasts thick adobe walls, large carved vigas (rafters), and support-
ing corbel arches. English-language Masses are Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 9:30 and
11am.
403 El Camino Real NW, 2 blocks north of the plaza.
&
575/835-1620.
Free admission. Summer Mon-Fri
8am-7:30pm; winter Mon-Fri 8am-6:30pm.
SEEING THE SIGHTS NEAR SOCORRO
SOUTH OF SOCORRO
The village of
San Antonio,
the boyhood home of Conrad
Hilton, is 10 miles from Socorro via I-25. During the financial panic of 1907, his mer-
chant father, Augustus Hilton, converted part of his store into a rooming house. This
gave Conrad his first exposure to the hospitality industry, and he went on to worldwide
fame as a hotelier. Only ruins of the store/boardinghouse remain.
WEST OF SOCORRO
US 60, running west to Arizona, is the avenue to several points
of interest.
Magdalena,
27 miles from Socorro, is a mining and ranching town that
preserves an 1880s Old West spirit. In mid-November, this little town holds its Fall
Festival, which includes a variety of studio tours, artist demonstrations, and a silent auc-
tion.
Fifty-four miles west of Socorro, via US 60, is the
Very Large Array National Radio
Astronomy Observatory (VLA)
. (The Socorro office is at 1003 Lopezville Rd.
NW;
&
575/835-7000;
www.nrao.edu.) Here, 27 dish-shaped antennas, each 82 feet in
diameter, are spread across the plains of San Agustin, forming a single gigantic radio
telescope. Many recognize the site from the 1997 movie
Contact,
starring Jodie Foster.
Photographs taken with this apparatus are similar to those taken with the largest optical
telescopes, except that radio telescopes are sensitive to low-frequency radio waves. All
