Galisteo Basin, New Mexico

A basin and watershed area in northern New Mexico. It receives water run-off from the Sangre de Cristo mountains to the north and drains into the Rio Grande to the southeast. Because of its ideal location between two rivers (the Rio Grande and the Pecos) and near three mountain ranges (the Sangre de Cristos, the Jemez, and the Sandias), the Galisteo Basin has been occupied by Puebloan peoples for centuries, making it one of the richest archaeological, historical, and cultural sites in North America.