Rare Old Map of Los Alamos, New Mexico by USGS, 1952: Guaje Mountain & Bandelier National Monument
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1981 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored from the original 1981 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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Gift message & custom finish
If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
Every order is custom made, so if you need the size adjusted slightly, or printed on an unusual material, just let us know. We've done thousands of custom orders over the years, so there's (almost) nothing we can't manage.
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Titled “Guaje Mountain,” this United States Geological Survey topographic map presents the Los Alamos region of northern New Mexico through the precise,...
Continue readingTitled “Guaje Mountain,” this United States Geological Survey topographic map presents the Los Alamos region of northern New Mexico through the precise, information-rich language of the 1:24,000 quadrangle. The map is dated 1952 and carries a 1981 imprint, offering a view shaped by mid-century survey work while remaining part of the USGS’s later published cartographic record. Centered on the rugged country around Guaje Mountain and the Pajarito Plateau, it captures an area where geology, military history, Indigenous presence, and scientific ambition meet. Los Alamos appears not merely as a settlement, but as one of the most consequential places of the twentieth century, its wartime secrecy and postwar expansion set against a landscape of canyons, mesas, forests, and volcanic uplands.
The US Geological Survey, established in 1879, brought to maps such as this a distinctive combination of scientific rigor and national purpose. Its topographic quadrangles were designed to serve engineers, planners, soldiers, geologists, land managers, and travelers, translating the American landscape into a standardized yet remarkably expressive visual system. Here, contour lines articulate the abrupt relief of the Jemez Mountains and the deeply incised terrain surrounding Los Alamos. Greens suggest wooded or vegetated areas, while browns and fine linework reveal slopes, ridges, and elevations with admirable clarity. The result is both practical and elegant: a map made for use, yet filled with the quiet beauty of measured terrain.
Los Alamos dominates the historical imagination of this quadrangle. During the Second World War, the isolated mesa-top site became the headquarters of the Manhattan Project, where scientists, engineers, and military personnel worked in secrecy to develop the first atomic weapons. By 1952, the area was transitioning from wartime enclave to a more permanent scientific community, still closely tied to federal research and national security. This map preserves that moment before later decades of growth reshaped the region more extensively. Roads, trails, administrative symbols, and settlement patterns hint at a landscape increasingly organized around research, access, and infrastructure, yet still surrounded by vast stretches of canyon country and high New Mexican terrain.
Beyond Los Alamos, the quadrangle situates the town within a much older and broader landscape. San Ildefonso Pueblo appears to the east, anchoring the map in the enduring Indigenous history of the Rio Grande region. Nearby names such as Tesuque Creek, the Santa Fe River, Diablo Canyon, Capulin, Canjilon, La Cueva, and Cerro Pedernal evoke the layered geography of northern New Mexico, where Puebloan, Spanish, Mexican, and American histories overlap. Bandelier National Monument, with its ancestral cliff dwellings and volcanic tuff formations, lies within this wider cultural and geological setting. The map’s trails and minor roads suggest routes through a terrain long traversed for habitation, ceremony, grazing, timber, research, and recreation.
As a topographic portrait, “Guaje Mountain” is especially compelling for the way it makes landform the central subject. The Pajarito Plateau is shown as a broken, elevated surface carved by canyons and drainages, descending toward river valleys and rising toward forested mountain slopes. Contours gather tightly along steep canyon walls and spread across gentler mesas, allowing the viewer to read elevation almost tactilely. Watercourses, ridgelines, unnamed trails, and scattered points of interest create a dense record of place without overwhelming the eye. It is a map of a region both remote and globally significant: a landscape of volcanic beauty, ancient settlement, Cold War science, and enduring New Mexican grandeur.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Los Alamos
- Guaje Mountain
- Capulin
- Pajarito Plateau
- Diablo Canyon
- Santa Fe River
- Canjilon
- Tesuque Creek
- San Ildefonso Pueblo
- La Cueva
- Cerro Pedernal
- Bandelier National Monument
- Various unnamed trails
- Various minor roads and points of interest indicated by symbols
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Los Alamos, New Mexico and the surrounding area.
- The map is dated 1952 and carries a 1981 imprint.
- Created by the US Geological Survey (USGS), an organization known for mapping and surveying the United States since its establishment in 1879.
- Los Alamos is significant for its historical role in the Manhattan Project during World War II.
- Distinct contour lines indicate elevation changes across the mountainous terrain.
- Coloration indicates different land types and vegetation, with greens suggesting dense foliage and browns indicating elevation.
- The map displays varied topography, including mountains, hills, valleys, and possible water bodies.
- The 1952 data provides a historical view of the area before later development associated with Los Alamos’s scientific and military importance after World War II.
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
Titled “Guaje Mountain,” this United States Geological Survey topographic map presents the Los Alamos region of northern New Mexico through the precise, information-rich language of the 1:24,000 quadrangle. The map is dated 1952 and carries a 1981 imprint, offering a view shaped by mid-century survey work while remaining part of the USGS’s later published cartographic record. Centered on the rugged country around Guaje Mountain and the Pajarito Plateau, it captures an area where geology, military history, Indigenous presence, and scientific ambition meet. Los Alamos appears not merely as a settlement, but as one of the most consequential places of the twentieth century, its wartime secrecy and postwar expansion set against a landscape of canyons, mesas, forests, and volcanic uplands.
The US Geological Survey, established in 1879, brought to maps such as this a distinctive combination of scientific rigor and national purpose. Its topographic quadrangles were designed to serve engineers, planners, soldiers, geologists, land managers, and travelers, translating the American landscape into a standardized yet remarkably expressive visual system. Here, contour lines articulate the abrupt relief of the Jemez Mountains and the deeply incised terrain surrounding Los Alamos. Greens suggest wooded or vegetated areas, while browns and fine linework reveal slopes, ridges, and elevations with admirable clarity. The result is both practical and elegant: a map made for use, yet filled with the quiet beauty of measured terrain.
Los Alamos dominates the historical imagination of this quadrangle. During the Second World War, the isolated mesa-top site became the headquarters of the Manhattan Project, where scientists, engineers, and military personnel worked in secrecy to develop the first atomic weapons. By 1952, the area was transitioning from wartime enclave to a more permanent scientific community, still closely tied to federal research and national security. This map preserves that moment before later decades of growth reshaped the region more extensively. Roads, trails, administrative symbols, and settlement patterns hint at a landscape increasingly organized around research, access, and infrastructure, yet still surrounded by vast stretches of canyon country and high New Mexican terrain.
Beyond Los Alamos, the quadrangle situates the town within a much older and broader landscape. San Ildefonso Pueblo appears to the east, anchoring the map in the enduring Indigenous history of the Rio Grande region. Nearby names such as Tesuque Creek, the Santa Fe River, Diablo Canyon, Capulin, Canjilon, La Cueva, and Cerro Pedernal evoke the layered geography of northern New Mexico, where Puebloan, Spanish, Mexican, and American histories overlap. Bandelier National Monument, with its ancestral cliff dwellings and volcanic tuff formations, lies within this wider cultural and geological setting. The map’s trails and minor roads suggest routes through a terrain long traversed for habitation, ceremony, grazing, timber, research, and recreation.
As a topographic portrait, “Guaje Mountain” is especially compelling for the way it makes landform the central subject. The Pajarito Plateau is shown as a broken, elevated surface carved by canyons and drainages, descending toward river valleys and rising toward forested mountain slopes. Contours gather tightly along steep canyon walls and spread across gentler mesas, allowing the viewer to read elevation almost tactilely. Watercourses, ridgelines, unnamed trails, and scattered points of interest create a dense record of place without overwhelming the eye. It is a map of a region both remote and globally significant: a landscape of volcanic beauty, ancient settlement, Cold War science, and enduring New Mexican grandeur.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Los Alamos
- Guaje Mountain
- Capulin
- Pajarito Plateau
- Diablo Canyon
- Santa Fe River
- Canjilon
- Tesuque Creek
- San Ildefonso Pueblo
- La Cueva
- Cerro Pedernal
- Bandelier National Monument
- Various unnamed trails
- Various minor roads and points of interest indicated by symbols
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Los Alamos, New Mexico and the surrounding area.
- The map is dated 1952 and carries a 1981 imprint.
- Created by the US Geological Survey (USGS), an organization known for mapping and surveying the United States since its establishment in 1879.
- Los Alamos is significant for its historical role in the Manhattan Project during World War II.
- Distinct contour lines indicate elevation changes across the mountainous terrain.
- Coloration indicates different land types and vegetation, with greens suggesting dense foliage and browns indicating elevation.
- The map displays varied topography, including mountains, hills, valleys, and possible water bodies.
- The 1952 data provides a historical view of the area before later development associated with Los Alamos’s scientific and military importance after World War II.
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
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