right
The
West Mesa is an elevated landmass lying west of the Rio Grande River stretching from south of
AlbuquerqueAlbuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 521,999 as of July 1, 2008, according to U.S. census estimates, and ranks as...
northward to
BernalilloBernalillo is a town in Sandoval County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 6,611. It is the county seat of Sandoval County.Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in the U.S. state of
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
. The eastern edge of the West Mesa is defined by an
escarpmentIn geomorphology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves a sharp, steep elevation differential, characterized by a cliff or steep slope. Usually escarpment is used interchangeably with scarp...
that borders the Rio Grande floodplain. The western edge of the mesa is the
Rio Puerco RiverThe Rio Puerco is a river in the American state of New Mexico, USA. The Rio Puerco Valley is notable for once hosting a significant numbers of Anasazi people, many of them fleeing the collapse of the Chacoan civilization. Navajos in the Puerco River valley have used surface waters in the river...
near the
Laguna PuebloLaguna is a Native American tribe of the Pueblo people in west-central New Mexico, USA. The name, Laguna, is Spanish and derives from the lake located on their reservation. The real Keresan name of the tribe is "Kawaik." The population of the tribe exceeds 7,000 , making it the largest Keresan...
about 20 miles (32 km) west of Albuquerque. A large portion of the West Mesa is part of
Petroglyph National MonumentPetroglyph National Monument stretches along Albuquerque, New Mexico's West Mesa, a volcanic basalt escarpment that dominates the city’s western horizon. Authorized June 27, 1990, the 7,236 acre monument is cooperatively managed by the National Park Service and the City of Albuquerque. The...
and is bisected by
Interstate 40Interstate 40 is a major west-east Interstate Highway in the United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern terminus is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Much of the western portion of I-40,...
and Historic Route 66.
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right
The
West Mesa is an elevated landmass lying west of the Rio Grande River stretching from south of
AlbuquerqueAlbuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 521,999 as of July 1, 2008, according to U.S. census estimates, and ranks as...
northward to
BernalilloBernalillo is a town in Sandoval County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 6,611. It is the county seat of Sandoval County.Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in the U.S. state of
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
. The eastern edge of the West Mesa is defined by an
escarpmentIn geomorphology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves a sharp, steep elevation differential, characterized by a cliff or steep slope. Usually escarpment is used interchangeably with scarp...
that borders the Rio Grande floodplain. The western edge of the mesa is the
Rio Puerco RiverThe Rio Puerco is a river in the American state of New Mexico, USA. The Rio Puerco Valley is notable for once hosting a significant numbers of Anasazi people, many of them fleeing the collapse of the Chacoan civilization. Navajos in the Puerco River valley have used surface waters in the river...
near the
Laguna PuebloLaguna is a Native American tribe of the Pueblo people in west-central New Mexico, USA. The name, Laguna, is Spanish and derives from the lake located on their reservation. The real Keresan name of the tribe is "Kawaik." The population of the tribe exceeds 7,000 , making it the largest Keresan...
about 20 miles (32 km) west of Albuquerque. A large portion of the West Mesa is part of
Petroglyph National MonumentPetroglyph National Monument stretches along Albuquerque, New Mexico's West Mesa, a volcanic basalt escarpment that dominates the city’s western horizon. Authorized June 27, 1990, the 7,236 acre monument is cooperatively managed by the National Park Service and the City of Albuquerque. The...
and is bisected by
Interstate 40Interstate 40 is a major west-east Interstate Highway in the United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern terminus is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Much of the western portion of I-40,...
and Historic Route 66. There are numerous subdivisions with new homes being built on the lower porion of the West Mesa as the City of Albuquerque continues to expand further to the west.
Serial killings burial site
On February 2, 2009, a hiker found a human bone on the mesa and reported it to police. As a result of the subsequent police investigation, authorities have discovered that at least 13 bodies, including an unborn fetus, were buried in the area. Police suspect that the bodies were all buried by the same person or persons, and may be the work of a
serial killerA serial killer is a person who murders three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a "cooling off" period between each murder, and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification. Often, a sexual element is involved with the killings...
.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29371258/
Locations and geographic features located at the West Mesa
- Double Eagle II Airport
Double Eagle II Airport is a public airport located seven miles northwest of the central business district of Albuquerque, a city in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. It is owned by the City of Albuquerque....
- West Mesa Airport
West Mesa Airport was an airport on Albuquerque, New Mexico's West Side. Built in 1929, it was the city's second airport after the original Albuquerque Airport...
(now defunct)
- Nine Mile Hill
- Volcanoes National Monument
- Village of Lost Horizon
- Petroglyph National Monument
Petroglyph National Monument stretches along Albuquerque, New Mexico's West Mesa, a volcanic basalt escarpment that dominates the city’s western horizon. Authorized June 27, 1990, the 7,236 acre monument is cooperatively managed by the National Park Service and the City of Albuquerque. The...