Point of Rocks, named by the Spanish ''Cerros del Perrillo'' (Hills of the Doggy), is a 5,115 foot / 1,559 meter

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...

and the name of a range of hills of which the summit is the highest. The summit and the hills are 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 ...

plateau, mostly in Sierra County, New Mexico. The southernmost part of the hills are within Doña Ana County, New Mexico.

History

Point of Rocks was a landmark along the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro that passed to the west of these hills. Nearby to the south were two waterholes and a camping place, one of the few reliable watering places along the route known as the

. The place was called the

Paraje del Perrillo Paraje del Perrillo (Place of the Puppy), was a dependable watering and stopping place along the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, where it passed through the Jornada del Muerto in the vicinity of Point of Rocks in Sierra County, New Mexico. Paraje ...

(Place of the Little Dog). The paraje was named for a little dog that returned with muddy paws to the thirsty Onate expedition, prompting the search for and discovery of two small waterholes nearby that the Spanish fittingly named ''Los Charcos del Perrillo'' (The Puddles of the Doggy).George D. Torok, From the Pass to the Pueblos, Sunstone Press, Santa Fe, Dec 1, 2011
/ref> Long before the arrival of the Spanish, the water at Los Charcos del Perrillo was also a popular watering place for the local

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

. From the time that travelers came into the Jornada del Muerto they would be under

scrutiny Scrutiny (French: ''scrutin''; Late Latin: ''scrutinium''; from ''scrutari'', meaning "those who search through piles of rubbish in the hope of finding something of value" and originally from the Latin "scruta," meaning "broken things, rags, or ...

from mountains and hills along the route. Signal fires would be lit to alert others to this intrusion and to tell of their strength. Point of Rocks itself was a dangerous place, ideal for

warriors to conceal an attack or an ambush of passing travelers. The Paraje was located well away from the slopes of this place, and travelers were well advised to be wary and keep alert while near it.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Point of Rocks (Sierra County, New Mexico) Pre-statehood history of New Mexico Jornada del Muerto Mountains of Sierra County, New Mexico Mountains of Doña Ana County, New Mexico