Echo amphitheatre

Echo amphitheater is a natural amphitheatre located in Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States, about 17 miles (27 km) west of Abiquiú and about 4 miles (7 km) up the road from Ghost Ranch.

In the spring of 1861 a group of settlers from Iowa who began farming in northern New Mexico were set upon by a band of Navajo who had ventured into the region. The settlers one family was the Zendalters and another family was the Treblers were taken to the top of the natural amphitheater and executed. Their blood spilled down from the top of the amphitheater staining its walls. Three years later, when the Navajo were being forced on the "Long Walk" to Bosque Redondo by the U.S. Army, ten of the strongest Navajo men were taken to the top of the amphitheater where they were killed in retribution for the earlier deaths. Once again, blood spilled down the walls of the amphitheater. The blood of all the victims seeped into the pores of the rock and dried. It is still visible today as a reminder of the fragility of life. It is said that in the echos returned from the cliff's walls one can hear the anguished cries of both the settlers and the Navajo.

Sandstone cliffs near the Echo Amphitheater.

Rock face and desert varnish in the Echo Amphitheater.

External links

• Echo Amphitheater Web Site
• Painting of Echo Amphitheater