Los Peñoles

Los Peñoles is located at the top of Santos Peak in the northeastern area of the Dinetah homeland. Little research or recording has been conducted at the site, probably due to it's inaccessibility. Hendricks and Wilson (1996) state that the site was the location of a fierce battle between the Navajo and the Spaniards in 1705. Led by Roque de Madrid, the Spaniards attack a group of Navajos on top of Santos Peak. The Navajo under the leadership of Perlaja defended their location and managed to prevent the Spaniards from ascending the peak. A tactical victory for the Navajo due to the inaccessibility of the location (Towner 2003).

Ceramic Assemblage: No information has been recorded regarding the ceramic assemblage which may or maynot be present at Los Peñoles.

Tree-ring Analysis: Only a single sample from a notched pinon ladder has been taken from the site. It provided a date of 1695vv which does not contradict the historical account of the 1705 battle (Towner 2003).
Land Owner: Bureau of Land Management
Site Elevation: 6985 ft / 2129 m
Hiking Difficulty: Extremely Difficult =
Someone in excellent hiking condition;
Distance about 1/4 mile;
Elevation gain greater than 300 feet.
References:
The Navajos In 1705: Roque Madrid's Campaign Journal Hendricks, R., and J.P. Wilson 1996
The Navajos in 1705: Roque de Madrid's Campaign Journal. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
Defending The Dinetah Towner, Ronald H. 2003
Defending the Dinetah: Pueblitos in the Ancestral Navajo Heartland. The University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, Utah.

More Information

  • ➠ Dinetah Pueblitos (Google Map)
  • ⇩ How to Download KML Files from Google Map (PDF 154 KB)
  • ⇩ Dinetah Pueblitos (GPX Data, ZIP 3 KB)
  • ⇩ Dinetah Pueblitos (KML Data, ZIP 8 KB)
  • ⇩ Dendrochronology Dates (PDF 162 KB)
  • ⇩ Temporal Map Distribution (PDF 520 KB)
  • ➠ Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
  • ➠ Office of Archaeological Studies Ceramic Typology