Quemado, New Mexico


Quemado is a census-designated place in Catron County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 228. Walter De Maria's 1977 art installation, The Lightning Field, is between Quemado and Pie Town, New Mexico.
Jerry D. Thompson, historian of the American Southwest, was reared in Quemado.

Geography

Climate

Quemado was named by Spanish conquistadors due to the blackened stones that cover the earth. It was caused by a fire that preceeded the arrival of the Spanish in the early 1500's and the carbon remains partially due to paltry rainfall in the region.
Quemado is categorized as being within the 6a USDA hardiness zone, meaning temperatures can get as low as -10 to -5 °F.