Turquoise Hills

“The Saga of Turquoise Hills” explores the relevance of these important mines from the times of the Anasazi, Ancestral Puebloans, the Spanish influence and the “Tiffany” connection.

Archeologists believe that much of the turquoise found at Chaco Canyon was mined in the Cerrillos district. The area has been utilized for turquoise and mineral workings since at least 900 AD. The Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) first extracted this precious gemstone. They recognized its beauty and spiritual significance.. The Turquoise trade played a crucial role in their cultural and economic interactions. The Cerrillos Mining District boasts some of the oldest, rarest, and most substantial turquoise deposits in North America.

The pursuit of turquoise gemstones in the Cerrillos Mining District near Santa Fe, New Mexico has left much evidence in the form of pits, shafts, tunnels, walls, stopes, dumps, scars and tailings on the otherwise serene landscape of the Turquoise Hill and surrounding area. These attest to the massive amount of human energy expended here over time. Historic photographs and written records add to the modern mining story and weave together with artifacts from possibly one thousand years or more. They cover at least that many miles— north to Canada and south to Mesoamerica— creating a unique and fascinating mosaic of human endeavor.