Abo Night

Story

As daylight seeps out of the day and early evening shadows begin their march to darkness, the world quiets down and tranquility settles in. Perhaps a few crickets chirp to announce the arrival of night, and perhaps a lone coyote howl echoes in the far distance. But, other than that, all is quiet at Abo.

The ruins of the Abo Mission also quiet down, and prepare to hold fast through the night once more.

In the centuries before electricity and reliable light at night, twilight meant the day was almost done. Only a cooking or watch fire and there broke night’s darkness. The Abo residents stirred before sunrise, and the rhythm of the daylight hours governed their lives.

Standing there, alone, at the ancient ruins of Abo at the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in New Mexico, I reflected on that time. The stars above shone as bright as I had ever seen them. The skies in this part of New Mexico are reasonably dark.

The lights of Socorro, sixty miles away, provided a faint glow on the horizon. The light of Albuquerque, just further than sixty files, another glow on the opposite side of the mission. As in the opening narrative above, a coyote howled in the distance, letting me know that some things never change.

Eventually, it was time to pack up and head back to civilization and the modern amenities such as electric light. The transition was sudden and jarring, yet the experience of Abo Night remains with me.