Ojo Caliente lies along
U.S. Route 285 near the
Rio Grande between
Española and
Taos, approximately north of
Santa Fe, the state capital. The community consist mainly of small farms irrigated by
acequias fed by water from the Rio Ojo Caliente. Ojo Caliente has an arid or semi-arid climate receiving an average of of precipitation annually. The community has an elevation of . Ojo Caliente was settled sporadically as early as 1735 by a mixture of
genizaros, detribalized
Native Americans (or Indians) mostly descended from slaves, and Hispanics. They were settled on the frontier of New Mexico to guard against raids by
Comanche and other Indian tribes. In 1754, the Spanish government of New Mexico made a
Land Grant to genizaros to settle at Ojo Caliente. In 1766, Ojo Caliente had a fort for protection and imprisoned and fined any settlers who attempted to leave. In 1779, Governor
Juan Bautista de Anza said that Ojo Caliente was deserted. In 1790, after a durable peace with the Comanche was reached, eighteen families from
Bernalillo resettled Ojo Caliente. In 1807, Major
Zebulon Pike described Ojo Caliente as "a square enclosure of mud [adobe] walls, the houses forming the wall....Inside of the enclosure were the different streets of houses of the same fashion, all of one story...The population consisted of civilized Indians, but much mixed blood. Here we had a dance which is called the
Fandango...the village may contain 500 souls. The greatest natural curiosity is the warm springs...each affords sufficient water for a mill seat." The community, known for the Ojo Caliente Hot Springs, is one of the oldest health resorts in North America.
Tewa tradition holds that its pools provided access to the underworld. Frank Mauro purchased the springs in 1932, and it remained a family business for three generations. The resort's buildings are on the
National Register of Historic Places. The nearby
Ojo Caliente Hot Springs Round Barn, built in 1924, is also listed on the National Register. ==References==