Explore Agua Fria through several layers of history: the original route of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro ran through the center of the traditional Village, and Pindi Pueblo stood on the north bank of the Santa Fe River. The area is also home to a 19th-century church, a history of settlement around cold springs, and a trail to Agua Fria Park. A stay here brings cultural history and the relationship between the river, landscape, and the community’s development into focus.

History between the route and the church

In 1995, the Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners designated the Village of Agua Fria a Traditional Historic Community. This designation applies to the historic community as a whole. San Isidro Catholic Church was built on a Village street in 1835. There are 160 years between the church’s construction and the designation as a Traditional Historic Community: the year the church was built and the Village’s later formal recognition mark different points in time.

The original route of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro is also part of the area’s history. It ran through the center of the traditional Village of Agua Fria. Thus, the story encompasses both a specific structure and a historic route that passed through the center.

Pindi Pueblo and early settlement

Pindi Pueblo stood on the north bank of the Santa Fe River in the Village of Agua Fria. It is one of at least two significant archaeological sites from the late Pueblo period in the area. Its location by the river and its association with this period make Pindi Pueblo an important part of the area’s archaeological history.

Excavations beneath Agua Fria Road in 2009 suggested that two prehistoric settlements below the Pindi Pueblo site may date back to around 3,000 BCE. This means the possible history of settlement reaches far earlier than the reference points of 1835 and 1995.

River, springs, and agriculture

Fertile alluvial deposits along the year-round Santa Fe River and cold springs made the area around San Isidro Crossing a successful agricultural area. Cold springs prompted settlement in the Agua Fria area in both prehistoric and historic times. Water is therefore connected both to the use of the land and to the development of the settlement.

Across the wider area, the Santa Fe River and its associated acequias enabled residents to farm and raise families for centuries. This broader context adds a long history of life and work in the region to the specific locations along the river and at San Isidro Crossing.

Park and practical directions

The existing Romero Park, formerly known as Agua Fria Park, is in the traditional Village, off Caja Del Oro Grant Road. A 0.7-mile trail connects the riverfront parking lot with Agua Fria Park.

Reunity Resources is a community farm in the Village. It is across from the parking lot at the trailhead for the San Ysidro River Park Trail, where San Ysidro Crossing meets the Santa Fe River. In addition to historical topics, the area’s description thus offers practical reference points linking the crossing, trail, and river.

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