Enchanted Mesa or Mesa Encantada is a sandstone butte in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States, about 2.5 miles northeast of the pueblo of Acoma. It was home to the Acoma people until a massive landslide and severe storm completely demolished the only approach. There are no longer any ruins on the flat top.
The butte is 430 feet high, 1,250 feet long, and only 400 feet wide, at its widest. The elevation at the top is 6,643 feet. It is believed that massive cliffs are formed by the Zuni Sandstone and the butte is topped by the Dakota Sandstone.
In 1892, Charles F. Lumins visited Acoma and expressed the story of the Acoma people’s lifestyle on Enchanted Mesa. The access from the southern side to the top with a large piece of butte had spalled off and formed a ramp called a stone ladder up to the top. So, their main source was their fields, springs, and water source, which were in the valley.
Therefore, once the summer season starts, the entire village descends into the valley to tend the crops. So, one unfortunate day, a severe thunderstone washed away the stone ladder, leaving only sheer rock faces all the way around the butte.
Only one young boy and three old women did not leave the village, which couldn’t get down nor could anyone else get back to the village. A giant thunderbird swooped down, scooped up the four and carried them to the valley floor. The Acoma people abandoned Enchanted Mesa and moved to White Rock Mesa, now called Acoma. In 1897, Professor Williams Libbey from Princeton University climbed Enchanted Mesa, where he spent two to three hours exploring, however, he didn’t find any ruins or artifacts.
Moreover, another archaeologist Frederick Webb Hodge, didn’t believe Libbey’s findings, and he went on an expedition in 1897 and found evidence of occupation, arrow points, stone tools, beads, and pottery fragments lodged in crevices. He said the main ruins had been washed over the edge for many centuries due to massive thunderstorms.
In 1974, an Acoma police officer claimed that he had seen a UFO over Enchanted Mesa, which was later confirmed by other police officers as a red light faster than any aircraft. So, a helicopter was sent to the top of Enchanted Mesa to find evidence of a UFO; however, no direct evidence was found. As a traveler, if you are planning to go to this natural wonder, then check out the best hotels at booking.com
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