The Fra Cristobal Range, (Fra Cristóbal Range) is a 17 mi (27 km) long,

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in central-north Sierra County,

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. Its northern extreme above Fra Cristoblal Mountain extends into

Socorro County Socorro County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,866. The county seat is Socorro. The county was formed in 1852 as one of the original nine counties of New Mexico Territory. Socorro wa ...

. The range borders the eastern shore of

Elephant Butte Reservoir Elephant Butte Reservoir is a reservoir on the southern part of the Rio Grande in the U.S. state of New Mexico, north of Truth or Consequences. The reservoir is the 84th largest man-made lake in the United States and the largest in New Mexico by ...

on the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

, and the range lies towards the southwest of the

Jornada del Muerto The name Jornada del Muerto translates from Spanish as "Single Day's Journey of the Dead Man" or even "Route of the Dead Man, though the modern literal translation is closer to "The Working Day of the Dead". It was the name given by the Spanish ...

, the desert region east of the river.

Description

The Fra Cristobal Range is an arid, moderate elevation, north–south trending mountain range, about 17 mi long and narrow, only about 7 mi at its widest. Crater Hill, lies west of the central ridgeline, and north of Black Bluffs, Red Cliff at the Reservoir. The high peak in the northern end of the range, which gives the range its name, is Fra Cristobal Mountain, , is at the north perimeter of the range. It is located at The mountain is said to have resembled the profile of a priest, Fray Cristóbal de Salazar, a cousin of

Juan de Oñate Juan de Oñate y Salazar (; 1550–1626) was a Spanish conquistador from New Spain, explorer, and colonial governor of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in the viceroyalty of New Spain. He led early Spanish expeditions to the Great Pla ...

, with the first colonizing expedition in 1598.George D. Torok, From the Pass to the Pueblos, Sunstone Press, Santa Fe, Dec 1, 2011

References

External links

Range Highpoint
Fra Cristobal Mountain, mountainzone, (coordinates), (elev: 5955)
Fra Cristobal Range
Crater Hill, (approximate range center (at west)), mountainzone, coordinatesFra Cristobal Range, mountainzone
Mountain ranges of Sierra County, New Mexico Mountain ranges of New Mexico Tularosa Basin {{NewMexico-geo-stub