Potrero (landform)

A potrero is a long mesa that at one end slopes upward to higher terrain.

In Spanish, the usual sense of potrero now refers to any land (such as a ranch, open range, or community pasture) where such horses are kept.

Notable examples of potreros include some of the many mesas of the Pajarito Plateau near Santa Fe, New Mexico (United States).These "finger mesas" were once a continuous deposit of compressed volcanic ash (the Bandelier Tuff).

When the ancient Pueblos abandoned Chaco Canyon, some relocated to the Pajarito Plateau and carved grand dwellings directly into the soft tuff at the bases of the potreros.

These potreros are natural enclosures, with only one principal exit: the narrow connection to higher land.