The Sangre de Cristo mountain range in southern Colorado is one of my absolute favorites because of their sharp rise from the valley floor, and of course, how they light up at sunset hence their name. There is a local folklore about how the Sangre de Cristo (“blood of Christ” in Spanish) got their name.

One says that the mountains were named during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, when the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico rose up to murder their Spanish oppressors. According to legend, a dying padre named Juan asked for a sign from heaven. When the mountains he beheld turned red at sunset, he exclaimed ‘Sangre de Cristo!'

Seen here are two fo Colorado’s 54 “14ers”, mountains with a summit above 14,000 ft., Challenger Point and Crestone Peak. This particular day was very cold and the fresh snow on the peaks combined with the dappled light made for a particularly dramatic scene.

I would recommend getting a metal or Lumachrome HD print, if you have questions about either of those mediums or would like me to mock up how it would look please contact me. More information about the prints that I offer can be found here.