Endless Horizons

Eastern New Mexico’s endless horizons and sea of grass known as the Llano Estacado speak of adventure. The arid 300-square-mile expanse—dotted by Cholla, Prickly Pear Cacti, Yucca and ephemeral playa lakes—oozes with storied mystique and tales of indomitable peoples and individuals.

One such notable was the Spanish explorer Coronado and his unsuccessful quest for gold in the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola. Without doubt, the Quahadis band of Comanches hunted tasiwóo—American bison also called buffalo—on this nearly mile-high tableland and by the mid-1800s cattle barons such as John Chisum grazed, rounded up and drove their longhorn herds to railheads.

© Ilija Lukić 2024

Llano Shade Trees

Llano Estacado north of Clovis NM USA (c.2014)