Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion de Quarai
The Quarai ruins are located in central New Mexico and are part of the Salinas Pueblos National Monument. The largest features of the ruins are the main pueblo and the walls of the mission church, which was probably one of the largest wall and beam structures in North America. The walls range in thickness from three to six feet, and probably reached a height of 40 feet (12 m).
The Quarai were a Pueblo band of American Indians. Based on the archaeology of the site, they are estimated to have settled here around 1300 AD. By the early 17th century the large pueblo compound had been built. Spanish missionaries were received by the Quarai in 1626, and granted permission to build a mission. Named Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion de Quarai, it was completed in 1632. Although the community did well, a severe drought afflicted the region beginning in the late 1660s, which combined with attacks from hostile Aztecs to lead to its abandonment in 1675.