The Lamy Junction Community is a group of 14 small Coalition-era (A.D. 1200 - 1325) structures and pueblos that occupy the SE facing slope northwest and above the Rio Galisteo near the junction of US Highway 285 and Santa Fe County Road 33.
The dominating topographic feature of Cerro Colorado is immediately across the Rio Galisteo. The property is currently owned by the County of Santa Fe. Adolph Bandelier noted the area in his journal for June 29, 1882 where he mentions “a group of small house ruins” west of the depot at Lamy. Nels Nelson worked in the area in 1915, excavating 9 rooms at LA27, the largest pueblo in the community, and 7 rooms in other structures. Mera recorded seven of the smaller sites (LA362 through LA368) in the 1930s and Regge Wiseman recorded these and five more (LA31774 - LA31779) in August of 1981.
The general area of Lamy Junction apparently has been a cross road for the last century, possibly longer. At least four road beds crisscross the property, probably roads between Lamy and Galisteo, Lamy and Clines Corners, and Galisteo/Clines Corners and Santa Fe. For this recording episode these roads and associated artifacts were considered as impacts upon the prehistoric sites, but they would be worth considering in their own right. The grade of the AT&SF/Burlington Northern railroad runs along the bed of the Rio Galisteo to the southeast of the Community. Railroad construction pushed the river over to the east, so it is now on the far side of the railroad grade from these sites.
The sites in the Lamy Junction Community are quite similar to one another. All appear to have been built of adobe with some stone and, except for LA27, to have held no more than 20 rooms, and most probably had less than 10. LA27, the largest, could have held 60 or more rooms, with at least part of the structure being two, possibly three stories high.
© New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies, a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
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