Garita, also known as Variadero, is an unincorporated community located in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States.

The community is located on New Mexico State Road 104 where it crosses the Conchas River.

[1][3] The community's two names both come from Spanish terms; Variadero derives from variar, meaning "to change", due to the changes in the river's course, while Garita means "lookout" or "government building".

The gravemarker is still visible for both of them and his reads "Jose Laureano Estrada, 1835 - 1898, The first settler of Variadero."

When Postal services were combined, the area developed the dual names of Garita and Variadero.