Pueblos South of Santa Fe
ACOMA PUEBLO
Haak'u (Keres}
"Place That Always Was"
Known as "Sky City" because its residents live on top of a 370-foot high sandstone mesa, Acoma Pueblo was established over 2,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the U.S. Three villages make up Acoma Pueblo are: Sky City, Acomita and McCartys. The Pueblo is rich in cultural history and its famous San Esteban del Rey Mission church, which dates to 1640, is a Registered National Historical Landmark. The 360 degree panoramic views from the mesa top are truly breathtaking.Acoma's distinctive thin-walled pottery with beautiful hand-painted designs is held in high esteem and demand, and is for sale at the Pueblo. Visitors can learn about this art form as well as other Acoma traditions at the spectacular Sky City Cultural Center & Haak'u Museum and by going on a tour led by Acoma Pueblo guides. The tour includes a photo permit. The Pueblo also operates the Sky City Casino Hotel. Annual events include the St. Esteban Feast Day, honoring the pueblo's patron saint, on September 2.
Directions and Contact Info
Located 60 miles west of Albuquerque on I-40 at Exit 102, then 16 miles south.
(505) 552-7860/ (800) 747-0181
www.puebloofacoma.org
www.skycity.com
www.acomaskycity.org
COCHITI PUEBLO
Kotyit (Keres)
"Forgotten"
Cochiti Pueblo spreads across more than 53,000 acres that includes the Rio Grande and Cochiti Lake. The popular and eerily beautiful Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Pueblo, lies on Cochiti's western border. Another attraction is an 18-hole golf course that has been ranked among the Top 25 of the nation’s public courses. Recreation areas in and around the Cochiti Reservoir are open seasonally to camping, boating, windsurfing, and other activities.
The Pueblo is well known for its whimsical figurines known as storytellers figurines, first created by Cochiti Pueblo artist Helen Cordero in 1964. Ceremonial drums with deep, rich tones are another celebrated tradition here and they are played during the Pueblo's annual St. Bonaventure Feast Day on July 14, as well as on Christmas Day.
Directions and Contact Info
Located 22 miles southwest of Santa Fe on I-25 then 14 miles north on N.M. 16.
(505) 465-2244
ISLETA PUEBLO
Shiewhibak (Tiwa)
"Flint Kick-Stick Place"
Isleta Pueblo is located in the Rio Grande Valley and was established in the 1300s. The Pueblo’s formidable St. Augustine Mission Church was completed in 1612. Because of a dispute among its residents in the 1800s, a satellite community, Oraibe, was formed and then another, Chicale, was created. Today, the Pueblo consists of these two smaller communities and the main Pueblo, Isleta.Isleta artists recently revived the Pueblo's jewelry and pottery traditions. The Pueblo also has a 27-hole championship Eagle Golf Course, the Isleta Resort & Casino, the Isleta Amphitheatre and year-round Isleta Lakes Recreational Complex. Annual events include the annual St. Augustine Feast Day on August 28. The Pueblo is accessible by the New Mexico Rail Runner train.
Directions and Contact Info
Located 13 miles south of Albuquerque via I-25 to Exit 215, then a five-minute drive.
(505) 869-3111
www.isletapueblo.com
www.isleta.com
www.isletaamphitheatre.com
JEMEZ PUEBLO
Walatowa (Towa)
"This is the Place"
Jemez Pueblo is located at the gateway to the Cañon de San Diego Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway and was established in the late 13th century when pueblo ancestors relocated from the Four Corners region. By the time the Spanish arrived at the pueblo in 1541, the Jemez Nation was one of the largest Pueblo settlements in the area in this area. The culture diversified in 1838 when survivors of the destroyed Pecos Pueblo resettled at Jemez Pueblo.Today, the Pueblo is closed to visitors except during feast days. But the Walatowa Visitor Center is open year-round, offering cultural and photography exhibits and a gift shop selling contemporary pottery and other works by Jemez Pueblo artists. Annual events include the St. Persingula Feast Day on August 2 and the annual Red Rocks Arts & Crafts Show on Memorial Day weekend.
Directions and Contact Info
Located 50 miles northwest of Albuquerque on N.M.4.
(505) 834-7235
www.jemezpueblo.org
www.jemezpueblo.com
KEWA PUEBLO
(Keres)
Formerly Santo Domingo Pueblo, after Patron Saint Kewa Pueblo is situated near ancient turquoise mines in Cerrillos and is home to one of the most famous tribes in the Southwest, celebrated for producing fine quality silver and turquoise jewelry that includes the use of shells called Heishi. The Kewa people historically were successful traders of their crafts, very much like their Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon ancestors. Roadside stands where artists sell their pottery and jewelry are popular with visitors, as is the annual Arts & Crafts Market held Labor Day Weekend, which features artists, dances and food booths. Visit the museum and cultural center to learn about the pueblo's rich history and culture.Kewa Pueblo's annual feast day on August 4, honoring its patron saint, St. Dominic, draws more than 2,000 participants in the ceremonial Corn Dance and also includes a large arts and crafts fair and carnival.The New Mexico Rail Runner stops at a new train station located on Kewa Pueblo, making it easy to visit this well-known Pueblo. There is also an open air market by the Pueblo #2 Gas Station off of I-25 that is a great place to shop for gifts directly from the artists.
Directions and Contact Info
Located 25 miles south of Santa Fe at Exit 259, then 4 miles north on N.M. 22 and west 1 mile on a local road.
(505) 465-2214
www.santodomingotribe.com
LAGUNA PUEBLO
Kawaik (Keres)
"Small Lake"
Laguna Pueblo is surrounded by beautiful mesas and is situated at the foothills of the sacred mountains of Mount Taylor. When the Spanish encountered Laguna Pueblo in the 1500s, its residents, who had lived on these lands since at least 1300, had established advanced agricultural techniques as well as rules for governing the Pueblo.
Laguna Pueblo boast of numerous successful business enterprises run by the Laguna Development Corp. including The 66 Pit Stop gas stations, the famous "Laguna Burger," and the Route 66 Casino & Hotel.
Today the large pueblo is divided into six villages and each holds its own feast day. All of the villages come together on September 19 to celebrate the annual Feast Day of St. Joseph with dances following a mass at the San Jose Mission Church, which was completed in 1699.
Directions and Contact Info
Located 45 miles west of Albuquerque off I-40.
(505) 552-6654
www.lagunapueblo-nsn.gov
www.rt66casino.com
SAN FELIPE PUEBLO
Katishtya (Keres)
San Felipe Pueblo was established between the banks of the Rio Grande and the Black Mesa and was named by the Spanish in 1591 after a Jesuit martyr who died in Japan. Residents today are dedicated to preserving their culture, particularly their language and dances.
The Pueblo's annual Feast Day of San Felipe on May 1 includes a traditional Green Corn Dance that is acclaimed for its beauty and, by the end of the day, wears the plaza down into a giant bowl.
San Felipe artists are known for their pottery, silverwork and embroidery, which are sold during the Pueblo's annual arts and craft show in October at the San Felipe Hollywood Casino.
Directions and Contact Info
Located 30 miles south of Santa Fe off I-25.
(505) 867-3381
www.sanfelipecasino.com
SANDIA PUEBLO
Tuf Shur Tia (Tiwa)
"Green Reed Place"
The Sandia Pueblo people established their community in the 1300s, settling in a lush valley ideal for farming located between the banks of the Rio Grande and the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. Sandia was a large, thriving community when the Spanish arrived in 1539. When the Spanish first viewed the sunset turning the mountains a vivid red, they named the pueblo "Sandia," the Spanish word for watermelon. During the Pueblo Revolt, the Sandians fled to Hopi lands in Arizona. They returned in 1742, rebuilt their ruined village, and today are very savvy business leaders.Sandia Pueblo operates the Bien Mur Indian Market Center, one of the Southwest's largest Native-American owned stores, as well as the Sandia Resort & Casino, a buffalo preserve, and Sandia Lakes Recreation Area.
Directions and Contact Info
Located just north of Albuquerque at Exit 135 off I-25.
(505) 867-3317
www.sandiapueblo.nsn.us
SANTA ANA PUEBLO
(Keres)
Ancestors of the Santa Ana Pueblo people called their community Tamaya before submitting to Spanish rule in 1598, when the Spanish renamed the village after its patron saint. During the Spanish re-conquest following the Pueblo Revolt, Santa Ana residents were forced to flee to the Jemez Mountains and nearby Black Mesa. They returned to their present location in 1693 and began to expand their land for farming.Today Santa Ana Pueblo thrives through a successful blend of traditional and modern ways. The Pueblo operates the Santa Ana Star Casino & Center, the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, owns and operates two championship golf courses: Santa Ana Golf Club and Twin Warriors Golf Club. They also run arts and crafts, gardening and cooking enterprises.
Annual events include the Santa Ana Feast Day on July 26.
Directions and Contact Info
Located 15 minutes north of Albuquerque at Exit 242 off I-25, then two miles west near the intersection of U.S. 550 and N.M. 528.
(505) 867-3301
www.santaana-nsn.gov
www.santaana.org
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa
ZIA PUEBLO
Tsi'ya (Keres)
"Sun Symbol"
Zia Pueblo, located on top of a mesa near the Zia River, is most famous for the ancient Zia sun featuring the image of a central sun with rays representing the traditional four directions. The symbol was adopted by New Mexico, adorns the state flag, and remains a major motif in Zia's celebrated geometric pottery design, which also features animal and plant symbols.
Zia Pueblo suffered great losses during the Pueblo Revolt, reducing the population to near extinction. They remain a small community of agriculture workers and livestock raisers but they have a strong sense of identity and produce beautiful traditional works of art.
Visitors can purchase Zia pottery as well as paintings, sculpture, weaving and more at the Zia Cultural Center and enjoy fishing at nearby Zia Lake. Annual events include Our Lady of the Assumption Feast Day on August 1.
Directions and Contact Info
Located 8 miles northwest of Santa Ana Pueblo on U.S. 550
(505) 867-3304
www.zia.com
ZUNI PUEBLO
A'shiwi
"The Flesh"
Zuni Pueblo has a population exceeding 12,000 and is the largest of New Mexico's 19 pueblos, located 25 miles southwest of Gallup—a robust artist colony set in a beautiful and inspiring landscape. Zunis have probably lived in this location for over 1300 years, and they have still retained ancient traditions. When the Spanish arrived at this Pueblo in 1539 seeking the Cities of Gold, six villages occupied the Zuni Valley. Following the Spanish re-conquest after the Pueblo Revolt, the six villages were consolidated into one, which became known as Zuni Pueblo.Today, Zuni Pueblo is world-renowned for its stone fetishes, inlay silver jewelry and pottery, and vibrant culture and warm hospitality. Visitors are welcome and can learn more about Zuni culture and traditions at the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center, as well as shop at numerous galleries and crafts outlets. Our Lady of Guadalupe mission church, which dates to 1629, contains stunning life-size murals of kachinas. The Inn at Halona B & B offers a wonderful stay on the Pueblo.
Annual events include the Zuni Fair over Labor Day weekend, the Zuni Fall Festival & Arts Market in early October, and the Zuni Christmas Light Parade during Thanksgiving.
Directions and Contact Info
Located 35 miles south of Gallup on N.M. 53.
(505) 782-7238
www.ashiwi.org
www.zunitourism.com
ashiwi-museum.org
www.halona.com
Download the schedule of Pueblo Feast Days and Tribal Celebrations.
