Plaza Banca | A Healing Sanctuary of New Mexico

As dawn awakened and the sun illuminated the chiseled edges of the expansive rust plateaus of the Abiquiu area, Angelisa and I journeyed to Plaza Blanca, the White Palace. This is one of the most unique and inspiring majestic natural wonders of New Mexico. We pulled off the 2-lane back road at what looked like a dirt driveway and Angelisa unlocked the gate. We drove down the small dirt road enjoying the open blue sky, white billowing clouds and colorful stacked cliffs. Then we turned a corner and I was amazed by the beauty of the white sandstone cliffs of Plaza Blanca glimmering in the New Mexico sunlight.

This is the land of the Tewa, a Native American Puebloan group. They inhabited this land since the aboriginal times and you can feel their deep rooted traditions and history imprinted upon this earth. The Tewa tribe were known as a peace-loving people, surviving as farmers and herdsmen. They are famous for their religious beliefs, culture and traditions which are strongly associated with this land. This site also served as inspiration for some of Georgia O’Keeffe’s most famous paintings, and when you arrive here, you understand why.

As we got out of the car, I immediately felt a wave of calming energy engulf me, like a hug from Mother Nature. I was born and raised in New Mexico and the mountains and wide open spaces of this state have always served as my sanctuary for healing and grounding. I felt a deep connection to the land as we hiked down into the valley closer to the white spires of the Plaza. Since the land is private, we had the place to ourselves which made it more of a healing sanctuary for my soul. 

The white cliffs of Plaza Blanca are a stark contrast to the bumpy, rust colored cryptobiotic soil of the land. Cryptobiotic soil is unique to desert landscapes and vital to this ecosystem. Crypto means ‘hidden’ and biota means ‘life’, so cryptobiotic literally translates to ‘hidden life’. This biological soil crust is a living soil and serves as a protector of the desert because it maximizes water absorption and helps prevent erosion. We marveled at the landscape and innate ability of mother nature to adapt and protect herself.

We made sure to stay on the path to avoid stepping on or disrupting the cryptobiotic soil as we ventured deeper into the White Palace. We passed a few cairns that previous visitors had built adding to my feeling of reverence and respect for the land. We wandered through the palace observing the stunning white cliffs and their unique structures in a meditative trance inspired by the land. It is a place of wonder and a place to wander, to let go of your fears and anxieties and let the magic of the therapeutic land of enchantment heal you and bring you back to your roots.

The White Palace is like a moonscape, a badland of hoodoos and weathering rock. I felt as though I was in another world or on another planet as I wandered around. The land was shaped through erosion over time, sculpted by New Mexico’s elements of wind, aridity, water, snow, and sun. These elements are still in force and continually reshaping the land daily. In fact, no two visits to Plaza Blanca will be exactly alike as the elements shift and transform the formations that make up this living landscape. Realizing this is a humbling cogitation of the timeless of our existence, and our evergoing transformation of self. It is a reminder to breathe deep and be present in the moment, as this moment is unique and will never happen again.

Before I knew it, we had to go. I took one last deep inhale immersed in this sacred space. I felt grounded and calm and thanked mother nature for her healing energy in this majestic space. Plaza Blanca is truly a hidden gem and coveted treasure of New Mexico. With Heritage Inspirations you too can connect with the wild in this healing sanctuary of New Mexico.

Plaza Blanca was a physical exploration of my soles walking on this earth in awe of it’s landscapes, but there was also something unspoken about my own inner wisdom connected with the ancient weathering processes. I found similarities between my own life and this ancient land, always changing and growing influenced by the elements, but strong enough at the core to remain the same. I was aware of the support of Mother Earth beneath my feet and her perfect timing in the etchings of these obelisks, towers and perfectly placed rocks as if they were a work of art meant for me to enjoy in that moment.