Tierra Amarilla

The community grant the panel names was undone by the act that confirmed it. Congress approved Tierra Amarilla on June 21, 1860, as Private Land Claim No. 3, belonging to Manuel Martínez's son Francisco, not to the settlers as a community. Francisco deeded the families their plots, but the commons followed the title. After his death in 1874 Thomas B. Catron bought out the heirs, and he signed for the patent when it was issued in February 1881. The courts have held Congress's word final ever since, which is the grievance behind 1967.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Tierra Amarilla Elevation-7,860 ft. In 1832 the Mexican government made a large community land grant to Manuel Martinez and other settlers, but settlement was delayed by raids by Utes, Jicarilla Apaches and Navajos. Tierra Amarilla, first called Nutritas, became the Río Arriba County seat in 1880. In 1967 it was the focus of conflicts between Na- tional Guardsmen and land rights activist Reies López Tijerina.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad — 15 mi
  A narrow-gauge steam railroad from Chama over 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass to Antonito, kept narrow because nobody ever thought it worth converting.
• Ghost Ranch — 25 mi
  Red, yellow and white cliffs above the Piedra Lumbre basin, where Georgia O'Keeffe bought seven acres in 1940 and paleontologists found a hillside full of dinosaurs in 1947.

More markers nearby

• Tierra Amarilla — 2.1 mi
• Fort Lowell — 2.8 mi
• Chama — 12 mi
• Chama — 15 mi