Santa Rosa

Of the two Spaniards on this panel, Castaño de Sosa came the harder way. In July 1590 he moved the whole mining settlement of Almadén in Nuevo León north, men, women, children, carts and livestock, without the viceroy's permission, and followed the Pecos upstream toward the pueblos. Captain Juan Morlete caught up with him at Santo Domingo early in 1591 and took him back in chains. Convicted in 1593 of entering New Mexico unlawfully, he was exiled and died at sea. This copy of the panel prints his name without its tilde.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Santa Rosa Population 2,469 - Elevation 4,620 The Spanish explorer Antonio de Espejo passed through this area in 1583, as did Gaspar Castano de Sosa in 1590. Santa Rosa, the Guadalupe County seat, was laid out on the ranch of Celso Baca y Baca, a politician and rancher in the late 1800s. It was named for his wife, Dona Rosa.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Blue Hole — 1.6 mi
  A bell-shaped artesian spring in Santa Rosa, 81 feet deep and a steady 61 or 62 degrees, where divers from across the region learn to dive at altitude.

More markers nearby

• Santa Rosa — 0.6 mi
• Santa Rosa Lake State Park — 1.0 mi
• Santa Rosa — 3.0 mi
• Puerto de Luna — 8.9 mi