Urraca Mesa is a large mesa located in northern New Mexico on the property of Philmont Scout Ranch. The mesa has a long history of mythical and supernatural associations, dating to the local indigenous tribes, some of whom believed it to contain the gateway to the underworld. There exist a variety of other more recent ghost legends, some from the land's Mexican occupants, others from those in the cattle trade who used it as a winter home for their livestock, and still others from the area's earlier days as a newly acquired Boy Scout ranch. These involve, among other themes, unexplained blue lights, wandering murderous monks, amorphous horsemen dressed in black, and a lost Scout.

The mesa has a number of other more worldly peculiarities to which some of its mystique may be attributed. These include the presence of a large quantity of lodestone and other iron minerals, which disorients the compass of anyone who ventures too close. The iron-rich deposits near the eye may also distort film and has even been attributed to interfering with electronic items; the mesa's vastness and complete flatness, making it easy to become lost; and the shape of a skull which adorns its topmost area, which is visible on a topo map. It also has the highest incidence of lightning strikes of any place in the state, possibly due to its iron-rich qualities, making it highly dangerous to be atop it during a storm.

Topography

---

Urraca Mesa itself is relatively flat with exception of a higher plateau protuding that is called the skull. Topographically, the skull shape is a profile view. The eye, or portal as it is known, is an indention in the land

Legends & Ghost Stories

---

Though the various ghost stories are generally treated with ostensible contempt by the campers and staff of Philmont, there remain no camps atop the mesa, and camping is prohibited there unless in exceptional circumstances. Indeed, staffers often scrupulously avoid crossing the mesa at night, and if forced to do so, avoid looking in any direction except forward along the trail.

Anasazi & the Fifth Dimension

One specific legend of the mesa is that the Anasazi people once inhabited the mesa. They claim they come from the Fifth Dimension, a place similar to the Hell described by Dante in The Divine Comedy.

One day, all but their oldest and most powerful shaman returned to the Fifth Dimension. In order to keep the evil of the Fifth Dimension within the dimension, their shaman sealed it behind them with the use of six totems bearing cat carvings. This may be allude to the cat as a guardian of the underworld, as is the Ancient Egyptian belief. There were supposedly six cat totems placed. Should all six have fallen, the portal would open and horrors from the other realm would be released causing the equivalent to an apocalypse. Reports claimed that five have already fallen, but these are unconfirmed.

It has been speculated as the resting spot of either the corporeal shaman's resting spot, but is claimed by the rangers as the area the portal's entrance. When you try to cross the mesa, follow the signs, and have a map; many times groups end up going to the water tower nearby instead of going to camp.

Demon Puck

There have been stories of a camper who saw a shape in the bushes while hiking atop the mesa. He didn't think much of it at the time, but it continued to follow him in the bushes. Later, when he fell behind from the rest of his group, he saw a small(possibly 3 feet tall), jet-black creature run from the bushes with impressive speed. He was quite disturbed by the sight, but said nothing out of fear and disbelief.

That night while asleep in his tent, he awoke because he could not breathe. The creature was standing on his chest smiling and could now clearly see it. It had glowing red eyes, a smile full of sharp teeth, and claws that it clicked together. Even though it was small in stature, the creature seemed to weigh ten-fold of what it appeared. The camper passed out from being unable to breathe. Sometime before dawn he awoke again, the creature was gone. Not wanting to stay a moment more, he ran as fast as he could back to basecamp. His crew awoke to find his tent empty. After searching, basecamp radioed the nearby staff camp that the camper had indeed ran to camp. The camper was short of breath and had bruises or impressions on his chest in the shape of feet.

There have been mysterious sightings atop the mesa, sometimes as a shadowy figure. Some nights there is a blue glow that can be seen the mesa. There have been reports of a sound like a drum, and even chanting. There also have been reports of people gone missing and there is even talk of a journal found that documents an abduction by something.

Philmont Scout Ranch