June 04, 2002
The majestic Cornudas (horned) Mountain on the photo above was an important landmark of the great Southwest desert frontier. It became a stagecoach stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail route in the 1800s. A spring near the base of the mountain quenched drivers thirst, whose trek stretched from St. Louis, Missouri to San Francisco, California. The mountain is located about 80 miles (128 km) northeast of El Paso, in southern New Mexico, and is composed of geologically young syenite porphery. A refreshing cave is found inside, which contains remnants of Native American inhabitation, including a number of pictographs. Along the base of the mountain, other pictographs can be found as well as holes used for grinding holes. Depending on the observers perspective, this rugged mountain complex possesses very unusual shapes and arrangements, which awakens one’s curiosity about the natural forces that helped to create the desert Southwest.
Photograph taken facing north, under the light of a quarter moon (half illuminated), risen about 30 degrees at about 1:30 a.m. A 28mm lens was used at f/2.8 on a tripod for 90 seconds - Fuji Provia 400F slide film with cable release on Pentax K1000.