Pajarito

The court that confirmed Pajarito's grant said no far more often than yes. Congress created the Court of Private Land Claims on its last night in session, March 3, 1891, after Surveyor General William Pelham had urged such a body as early as 1855. Sitting until June 30, 1904, it weighed 282 New Mexico claims to 34.6 million acres and rejected 94 percent of the acreage, accepting little short of ironclad proof. Pajarito won confirmation only on a presumption that a grant had once been made to Josefa Baca.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Pajarito This community is part of the Pajarito Land Grant, which can be traced to 1746 when Spain controlled present-day New Mexico. Covering 47,000 acres between the Rio Grande and Rio Puerco, it is one of the 69 New Mexico land grants confirmed by the U.S. government of the 272 that were claimed. The Gutiérrez family owned, farmed and ranched it. Juliana Gutiérrez, a descendant of the family, married James L Hubbell, a successful merchant. Their home on the Camino Real was the local trading post, stagecoach stop, and post office. Today it is a historical and cultural center.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Petroglyph National Monument — 11 mi
  Some 24,000 images pecked into the dark basalt of Albuquerque's West Mesa, protected in 1990 and then crossed by a city boulevard.

More markers nearby

• Juliana Gutierrez y Chaves Hubbell / Gutierrez-Hubbell House — steps away
• Josefa Baca / Pajarito Land Grant — 0.2 mi
• Los Padillas — 2.1 mi
• Old Armijo School — 5.0 mi