Ojo Caliente Hot Springs

Ojo Caliente hot springs is a group of thermal springs located in Taos County, New Mexico, United States.

Ojo Caliente hot springs

History

The hot springs were used by the ancestral native Pueblo peoples. It has been written that the Tewa hero P'oseyemu accessed the underword via the sacred warm water springs. The original place name is Posi or P'oseuinge which roughly translates to "village at the place of the green bubbling hot springs".[1] Early Spanish explorers, including Coronado's soldiers soaked in the healing water.[2] It is thought that before the 1680 Pueblo Revolt Spanish colonists used the springs. In 1793, the Ojo Caliente Land Grant was signed by Governor Fernando de la Concha, the document approved settlers including Luis Duran and José Antonio Espinosa.[1]

In 1868, the Taos native, Antonio Joseph opened the hot springs as a natural health spa business enterprise. The bathhouse was constructed with thick adobe walls and rough-hewn viga roof beams. [1] It was partially rebuilt and renovated in the 1980s.

Water profile

The mineral content includes lithium, arsenic, iron and sodium/soda. Temperatures range from 80 °F to 106 °F.[3][2][4]

Location

They are located at: 36°18′37″N 106°2′48″W off of NM-414 across the Rio Ojo Caliente, near the village of Ojo Caliente. The Ojo Caliente Hot Springs Round Barn, built in 1924, is located nearby, and is listed on the national register of historic places.[5]

See also

References
  1. Wiedeman, Paul (October 12, 2007). "The green bubbling springs of Ojo Caliente". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  2. Gulliford, Andrew (February 20, 2015). "Some Like it Hot: Soaking up the history at New Mexico's Ojo Caliente springs". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  3. Rowland, Susan (October 20, 1996). "Two New Mexico Spas". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  4. Ebright, Malcolm. "The Ojo Caliente Land Grant". Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  5. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
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