Galisteo Basin

Because of its location lying between mountain ranges and connecting the upper Rio Grande Valley with the Great Plains, the Galisteo Basin was used as a trade route by prehistoric and historic indigenous and later also by the Spanish explorers.

To the west it is bounded by the Rio Grande, and to the south by the drainage divide with the Estancia Basin, by the Ortiz Mountains.

The north fork of the Galisteo River arises in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the slopes of Thompson Peak and Glorieta Baldy.

The south fork of the Galisteo River, also known as the Arroyo de la Jara, drains from the eastern and southern slopes of the basin.

After the three fork join, the river flows northwest for about 30 miles (48 km) into the Rio Grande.