MORA

county, northern New Mexico, U.S., bordered on the east by the steep walls of the Canadian River Canyon. Though most of the county lies in the Raton section of the Great Plains, its western heights are in the Southern Rocky Mountains. Pecos Baldy, at 12,500 feet (3,810 m), is in the Sangre de Cristo range in the far west; in the southwest is the Santa Fe range, rising to over 11,000 feet (3,350 m). The valley of the Mora River separates these mountains from the smaller Rincon range to the east. The river flows into a grassy plain that descends more than 1,600 feet (490 m) from the town of Mora to the southeastern border of the county. Within the plains lie the high, isolated Cornudo Hills and Turkey Mountains. In Mora county's mountains are the Santa Fe National Forest, Pecos Wilderness, and Morphy Lake State Park; Fort Union National Monument and the Kiowa National Grasslands are located on the plains. The Santa Fe National Historic Trail crosses the county. Plains Indians dominated the Mora county region before the arrival of the Spanish; in 1696, Diego de Vargas came to the Mora River valley in search of Pueblo Indians to conquer. French-Canadian and American hunters and trappers came to the region in the early 19th century, and settlers who followed in their wake withstood attacks by Comanche, Ute, and Jicarilla Apache Indians. The county was established in 1860. Government employment and cattle and sheep raising are the basis of Mora county's economy, which has declined for much of the late 20th century. The town of Mora is the county seat. Area 1,931 square miles (5,002 square km). Pop. (1990) 4,264.