This town was built to support a volcanic cinder quarry located about 2 miles to the north, at the base of Guzman's Lookout Mountain. Volcanic cinders were mined from this quarry to be used as ballast for the railroad bed. The cinders were loaded on truck at the quarry, and transported to Malpais to be loaded on trains. Several concrete foundations can be found here. A dirt road heading north of town will take you to the Malpais Quarry at the base of Guzman's Lookout Mountain. Heading south is a dirt road that leads to the base of Camel Mountain and the Mexican border.
 

	Remains of a cinder block structure located at Malpais. Seen in the background, is Guzman's Lookout Mountain.
	This flat area used to be where volcanic cinders from the Malpais Quarry were stored. Camel Mountain is seen in the background.
	A concrete foundation and bricks are the remains of one of the several structures that used to stand at Malpais.