Ra Paulette's Caves

Windows of the Earth

Useful Information

Location:	North of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Open:	no restrictions. [2019]
Fee:	free. [2019]
Classification:	Tunneling
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	Windows of the Earth Cave Sanctuary:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Origin LLC, Origin at Rancho de San Juan, Ojo Caliente, New Mexico, Tel: +1-505-747-2374. E-mail: Jill Marie Inanna, Owner
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Geology

2014	documentary Cavedigger about Ra Paulettes work filmed, nominated for an Academy Award.

Description

Ra Paulette's Caves is actually not a name, it's just a description, as far as we know those caves have no name. And they are definitely not a tourist venture. You could more precisely call them an artwork, consisting of a series of sculptured sandstone caves. Ra Paulette is an artist from Santa Fe who works for some 25 years now to create a series of astonishing caves in the sandstone cliffs north of Santa Fe. His work was featured in an Academy Award nominated documentary which we can fully recommend, please see the link below. Together with his dog he spends day after day in his caves, digging and sculpting the walls. There are openings to the sky, floral designs and benches carved from the rock. During some 25 years he actually created 14 different caves. There is no plan to earn money with them, only the necessity to create them.

As Ra Paulette is featured in the documentary, and there are also numerous quite famous websites featuring his caves, so there is obviously a public interest to visit the caves. As he himself does not intend to open them and guide visitors, there are local operators who offer guided tours to the caves. One of them is Origin New Mexico, a local resort which offers day trips and meditation courses, primarily for their guests. They use the Windows of the Earth Cave Sanctuary, one of his caves which is located on the grounds of Origin at Rancho de San Juan in Ojo Caliente, New Mexico. Also there was one cave which was offered as accommodation through casasdesantafe.com, an internet platform for private rooms and pensions around Santa Fe. Unfortunately this offer does not exist any more.

As far as we read on the web, Ra Paulette does not close his caves after he finishes them. So you could actually just go there and visit them on your own. We think the main problem will be to find them. And that's probably a good thing, as it prevents random vandalism. Ra Paulette hopes that those that come after him and spent the effort to find one of his caves, will find some peace inside.