El Rito, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
Encyclopedia
El Rito, ,is an unincorporated village in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
, USA. Its elevation is 6875 feet (2,095.5 m).
It is located on NM 554; 18 miles (29 km) NW of Española
and 15 miles (24.1 km) NW of Ojo Caliente.
El Rito was one of the first Spanish settlements in northern New Mexico. The oldest church in New Mexico is here. It was restored in the 1980s.
It is the home of the Carson National Forest Service – El Rito Ranger District, the El Rito Public Library, the Las Clinicas del Norte, and a campus of Northern New Mexico College
.
Originally named El Rito Colorado, the red creek, it took its name from the creek that passes through the village. Tewas call the El Rito region "pink below place" for the El Rito Mountains, know to them as the pink mountains.
El Rito is surrounded by the Carson National Forest
.
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, USA. Its elevation is 6875 feet (2,095.5 m).
It is located on NM 554; 18 miles (29 km) NW of Española
Española, New Mexico
Española also known as Espanola , is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, in the United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Española was founded in 1880 as a railroad village, incorporated as a city in 1925. The city is situated in...
and 15 miles (24.1 km) NW of Ojo Caliente.
El Rito was one of the first Spanish settlements in northern New Mexico. The oldest church in New Mexico is here. It was restored in the 1980s.
It is the home of the Carson National Forest Service – El Rito Ranger District, the El Rito Public Library, the Las Clinicas del Norte, and a campus of Northern New Mexico College
Northern New Mexico College
Northern New Mexico College, formerly known as Northern New Mexico Community College, is a two-year and four-year degree granting institution with campuses in Española and El Rito, New Mexico...
.
Originally named El Rito Colorado, the red creek, it took its name from the creek that passes through the village. Tewas call the El Rito region "pink below place" for the El Rito Mountains, know to them as the pink mountains.
El Rito is surrounded by the Carson National Forest
Carson National Forest
Carson National Forest is a national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers and is administered by the United States Forest Service...
.