See the Llano Estacado QuickTime movie here.
About the Llano Estacado:
The Llano Estacado is part of the High Plains, straddling the Texas - New Mexico border between Interstate 40 on the north and Interstate 20 on the south, or, roughly, between Amarillo and Midland-Odessa, Texas. It is bounded on the west by the Pecos valley, and on the east by the red Permian plains of Texas. Its extent is, therefore, about 250 miles north to south, and 150 miles east to west, an area of 37,500 square miles. The Llano is a very flat, semiarid plateau, ranging in elevation from 5000 feet on the northwest to less than 3000 feet on the southeast, sloping more or less uniformly to the east-southeast at a rate of at least 10 feet per mile. The slope is imperceptible to an observer on the plateau. The Llano is dry and treeless, the prevailing wind is from the southwest, and mirages are a frequent occurence under the hot sun.
The distinguishing characteristic of the Llano is the Caprock
Escarpment, seen most prominently on the north and west sides, a
precipitous cliff usually about 300 feet in height, seeming to be an
almost
impenetrable defense for the plain. The cliff on the north facing the
Canadian river was seen by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1541
on his
way east from Cíbola, leading him to name the plateau the Llano
Estacado, or Palisaded Plain. The name is usually mistranslated Staked
Plain, and fanciful stories have been created to explain this title.
The cliffs are easily seen to the south from Interstate 40 just east of
Tucumcari.
There are several popular explanations of the name, all based on an
incorrect translation of the word "estacado," which means "palisaded,"
not "staked." Some allude to yucca stems, others to actual stakes
driven into the ground as landmarks, and still others to similar, even
less plausible objects. None of these have ever been evident enough to
be responsible for the name, especially not to Coronado riding along
the Canadian.
More about the Llano Estacado from J. B. Calvert
All images Copyright 2005 by Richard R. Barron
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