Mora, New Mexico

In 1835, 75 Anglo and Hispanic men from Taos were given grants of land in the Mora Valley. Some of the men were single but quite a few were married and brought their families with them. They were trappers, hunters, mountain men, and sheep herders. Those who put their minds to it became quite prosperous in Mora.

As each of the men were given grants of land, there was no official town site defined. To this day, there is still no official "Town of Mora." Out of necessity, the business and governmental area that we now know as Mora built up over the years but that layer of civic bureaucracy (and taxes and regulations) doesn't exist. The folks who live here now are intelligent enough to make sure that it won't exist in their lifetimes either (you can tell I'm a big fan of government, politicians and bureaucracy).

The valley is gorgeous, especially with that backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo's. I took these photos in early April on a beautiful day (there were a lot of folks out on their Harley's that Friday). The streams were full but the trees hadn't begun to bud yet. I found several llama and alpaca ranches around town and quite a few church camps up against the National Forest (this is very close to the Pecos Wilderness Area).