Lava Gate is an narrow area in 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 ...

, in the southern part of

Socorro County, New Mexico 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 was ...

. The Lava Gate creates a gap that trends north northwest to south southwest, between the malpaís (lava fields) of the

Jornada del Muerto Volcano The Jornada del Muerto Volcano is a small shield volcano and lava field in central New Mexico, about in size and reaching an elevation of . Jornada del Muerto means "Dead Man's Route" in Spanish, referring to the desolate colonial era trail fr ...

to the northeast and the foothills of the

Fra Cristobal Range The Fra Cristobal Range, (Fra Cristóbal Range) is a 17 mi (27 km) long, mountain range in central-north Sierra County, New Mexico. Its northern extreme above Fra Cristoblal Mountain extends into Socorro County. The range borders the ...

to the southwest. Its midpoint lies at an elevation of . The Lava Gate provided a path for the

Camino Real de Tierra Adentro The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro ( en, Royal Road of the Interior Land), also known as the Silver Route, was a Spanish road between Mexico City and San Juan Pueblo (''Ohkay Owingeh''), New Mexico, USA, that was used from 1598 to 1882. It was ...

from the interior of the Jornada del Muerto to 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 ...

Paraje, Socorro County, New Mexico Paraje was a populated place along the east bank of the Rio Grande, in Socorro County, New Mexico, Socorro County, New Mexico, United States, now a ghost town. It is located north northeast of the Fra Cristobal Range. History Paraje de Fray Cri ...

.Fray Cristobal paraje
from newmexicohistory.org accessed May 2, 2019

References

Landforms of Socorro County, New Mexico Jornada del Muerto {{NewMexico-geo-stub