About 3000 Native Americans live on the 719-sq-mile Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation , which lies in attractive country 17 miles southwest of Ruidoso on Hwy 70. The nomadic Apache arrived in this area 800 years ago and soon became enemies with local Pueblo Indians. In the 19th century, under pressure from European settlement and with their mobility greatly increased by the introduction of the horse, the Apache became some of the most feared raiders of the West. Despite the name of the reservation, the Apache here are of three tribes: the Mescalero, the Chiricahua and the Lipan. The Cultural Center has an interesting exhibit about the Apache peoples and customs.
