ACOMA PUEBLO: A Little History & A Tour

A LITTLE HISTORY

Currently, there are 19 Pueblos in New Mexico that trace their ancestry directly back to the Ancestral Puebloans:  Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Laguna, Nambe, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Pojaque, Sandia, San Fellipe, San Ildefonso, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo, Taos, Zia, and Zuni.  (Hopi are also ancestors of the Ancestral Puebloans, but their Pueblo and reservation are in Arizona.)  Some of the New Mexico tribe names are better known than others; some stand out for their unique art whether as jewelry, baskets or pottery. Acoma and Taos are probably the two most well-known pueblos in New Mexico and throughout the world.

Tourism is an important industry for both Pueblos, and they welcome the opportunity to educate others about their history and culture.  Years ago, I visited both Acoma and Taos Pueblos on different trips. My visits confirmed what I have always valued about native cultures.  Their sense of community. Their connection to and appreciation of Nature.  Their historical feats of engineering and astronomy.  Their artistry demonstrated through their jewelry, pottery and other artifacts. But especially their perseverance.  Both Acoma and Taos Pueblos have been continuously inhabited since about the year 1000.  And their ancestors have been in the area since before Christ.  Their art, culture, religion, and language all continue on.   Remarkable.

ACOMA PUEBLO

Driving to Acoma Pueblo–also called Sky City–as It Sits Atop Its Plateau

Acoma Pueblo is the most southwestern of the pueblos, sitting about 60 miles west of Albuquerque. It is also one of the remaining pueblos that has been continuously populated since at least the year 1200.  It sits atop a plateau that is roughly 360 feet high.  The word Acoma means “the place that always was.”  In 1540, Alvarado, an explorer working with Coronado, offered this description of this stronghold sitting high atop a plateau:

Acoma is “the greatest stronghold ever seen in the world. The natives. . . came down to meet us peacefully, although they might have spared themselves the trouble and remained on their rock, for we would not have been able to disturb them in the least. . . . The city was built on a high rock.  The ascent was so difficult that we repented climbing to the top.  The houses are three and four stories high.  The people. . . have abundant supplies of maize, beans and turkeys like those of New Spain.” 

Although visited by the Spanish in the 1540s, Acoma was not invaded until several months after the arrival of Juan de Onate y Salazar in 1595.  When Onate’s men demanded food from the Acomas, food that was needed for the tribe to survive the winter, a skirmish took place.  Eleven Spaniards were killed, including Onate’s nephew.  In retaliation, the village and its provisions were burned, 600 people were killed, and another 500 men, women and children were taken as prisoners and sentenced to servitude.  Each warrior under the age of 25 had his right foot amputated.  These atrocities are some of the war crimes that Onate was eventually charged with when he was recalled to Mexico years later.

Google Image

In 1998, a statue of Onate was erected, paying tribute to him as the founder of New Mexico. He served as the area’s first governor from 1598 to 1608. Not surprisingly, many Puebloans protested the action.  Part of the protest was conducted one night: Someone used a chainsaw to cut the right foot off the bronze statue.  Seems a fitting action to me!

Although the lands held by the Acoma Pueblo originally totaled nearly 5,000,000 acres, Acoma today retains control over less than 10% of that original total.  The 2010 census says 4,989 native people live in the immediate area surrounding Acoma.  About 30 of the tribe members still live in the actual dwellings on top of the plateau without electricity, running water, and sewage.  In 1960, Acoma Pueblo was named a National Historic Landmark, and in 1966 it was placed in the National Registry of Historic Places.

VIEWS OF THE PUEBLO AND AREA

Mount Taylor

Enchanted Mesa from a Distance–about 2.5 Miles from Acoma

Tradition Says the Acoma Tribe Lived on Enchanted Mesa Until Storms Blocked Access

Stegosaurus Rock

 

Currently, Acoma allows tourists to visit the pueblo on guided tours.  A main attraction is its church called the San Esteban Del Rey Mission.  It is the largest southwest mission, and its construction was started in 1629 with the arrival of Father Juan Ramirez.  Natives were conscripted into building the massive structure, carrying logs 40 miles from Mount Taylor for use atop the plateau.  All sand needed for the construction also had to be carried to the top of the plateau.  The Acoma Pueblo participated in the Pueblo Revolt in 1680.

San Esteban Del Rey Mission

Despite the slave labor and harsh conditions, Acoma Pueblo today attaches cultural significance to its mission. After all, their ancestors built by hand a structure that has stood for nearly 390 years.  A group of men called the Gaugashti or “church caregivers” take on the responsibility of maintaining not only the structure but the culture associated with the mission.

Tour Guide

Tourists are able to take a tour through the village, seeing some of the original buildings and pathways. The tours also let you chat with some tribe members and hear about their history and culture.  On my visit to Acoma decades ago, the tour guide was a young woman, who was informative and friendly.

Some of the Original Buildings

Original Ovens, Some Still in Use

Street in the Pueblo

Pathway from the Pueblo

Postcard of Women Getting Water along the Pathway, 1920

Google Image Traditional Pottery

Another Traditional Pot Google Image

Acoma tribe members have always been noted as great pottery makers. The traditional pots are impressive.  Of course, on my visit, I bought a little pot—being a little smaller than a baseball, it fit easily in my hand.  But the intricate detailed design is what captivated me.  I loved chatting with Charlie—the artist—about the creative process.

My Delightful Little Acoma Pot Made by Charlie

If you have not visited the Acoma Pueblo—or any of the other pueblos open to the public—add such a visit to your list.  It is well worth the visit!

EARTH: Weekly Photo Challenge

“It is wholesome and necessary things for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility.”  Rachel Carson

Earth is such a glorious paradox. It is everywhere, so common and typical but—at the same time—so unique, showing beauty and variety specific to each place.  Earth can run alongside a road or stretch across an open field; it can reach the heights of a mountain or stay close to the ground, supporting blossoms.  No matter where Earth is, it is worthy of celebration.  Over the last several years, I have enjoyed Earth across several states as pictured below.

ARIZONA

CALIFORNIA

COLORADO

NEVADA

NEW MEXICO

UTAH

WYOMING

This post is my response to the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Earth.

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SOME QUOTES ABOUT THE BEAUTY AND WONDER OF EARTH

“I’m fascinated by beautiful scenery and what we have here on this Earth.”  Matt Lanter

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and winds long to play with your hair.”   Kahlil Gibran

“Earth’s crammed with heaven. . .  but only he who sees, takes off his shoes.”   Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”  Henry David Thoreau

MY SOUTHWEST SOLITUDE ROAD TRIP 2015

“I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude,” Henry David Thoreau

“Solitude never hurt anyone.  Emily Dickinson lived alone, and she wrote some of the most beautiful poetry the world has ever known. . . then went crazy as a loon.”  spoken by Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons (Matt Groening)

MY SOUTHWEST SOLITUDE ROAD TRIP 2015: An Overview

In April, I traveled a total of 3,870 miles on a two-week road trip into the Southwest.  I knew what cities I would stay in for a few days each time and had some key attractions I wanted to visit.  But most of the trip was going to be simply wandering Arizona and New Mexico, enjoying the scenery and history of the area.  I even traveled a bit on an old stretch of historic Highway 66.  I had a wonderful time.

Petrified Forest National Park

I travel alone on these trips—and typically someone will ask, “Why?”  Speculation is often that I would be lonely.  But that is never the case! Solitude is not loneliness—and I love the peace and quiet of the back roads I tend to travel. On those roads, it is easier to pull over and stop to watch some clouds drift by, appreciate some wildflowers, listen to some birds, even see some animals I wouldn’t otherwise notice.  Even without such wonders, the wide open spaces can be relaxing.  How can that be lonely?

Spider Rock, Canyon de Chelly

My overall game plan was to stay a few nights in Flagstaff, Arizona; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Gallup, New Mexico, taking day trips from those locations.  In part, I just wanted to immerse myself in the area geography, driving the backroads and visiting the small cities that are an integral part of the Tony Hillerman novels I enjoy.  I also knew I wanted to visit Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, and Four Corners.  Other trips would be decided each day, from a list of possibilities I had generated.  I was also open to just following signs and seeing what I could see.

Some Views from Monument Valley:

Merrick Butte

El Malpais National Monument

Eventually, I will share photos of some of the major stops I made on this two-week adventure.  But many of the memories are the smaller moments of each day, some that could not even be captured with a photo. For example, every morning as I left the Gallup hotel, there was a little sparrow in the tree by where I parked who sang good morning loud and clear.  But he was shy and never, ever let me capture his photo.  In fact, many birds and even some small animals kept me company along the road, but rarely let me take their pictures.  It is always a fun little game to try to catch them on film.

Some of these smaller memories I was able to preserve in photographs.

The promise of rain was a constant companion.  I was only ever really caught in a storm a couple of times, but the clouds were gorgeous almost every day.  One day, it even snowed on me in Santa Fe.  How cool is that?

Lilacs in a Back Yard in Gallup

Flowers were also plentiful.  They always brighten any day!  Some flowers were in the cities, like some gorgeous lilac bushes that made me think of my mom.  One stretch near Shiprock, Aizona, offered miles and miles of wildflowers lining the road.  Other times, wildflowers offered isolated splashes of color and beauty.

False Red Yucca (Hesperaloe), Las Vegas

False Red Yucca Close Up

Some views around Shiprock, Arizona, mostly Desert Mallow:

Canyon de Chelly Roadside

Along the Verde River

Small Cactus Holding On Near Sedona

Taking Root in Monument Valley

Yucca in Bloom, Monument Valley

Yucca Bloom Up Close

Growing Out of Lava, Sunset Crater National Park

Some Flowers in Petrified Forest National Park:

Desert Poppies

Indian Paintbrush Close Up

Common Name is Wild Apache Rose (I think)

Apache Rose Close Up

Shiprock National Monument in the Background

A few animals also cooperated as I traveled along, letting me catch them on film.  Horses wandered along the road at several locations.  Prairie Dogs were chittering alarms as I bounced along a gravel road traversing Valles Caldera National Preserve. Most scampered away, but eventually a few sentries came back to their posts.  I also shared shade with a little bunny on a break at the El Malpais National Conservation Area.

Prairie Dog, Valles Caldera National Preserve

Near Canyon de Chelly

At one spot some sheep were literally running along the side of the road.  A ram was trailing behind, trying desperately—it seemed to me—to get back to the front of his little flock. That’s one of the hardest things about being a good leader—you need good followers!

This little trip confirmed for me that Nature and Solitude are great traveling companions!

Canyon de Chelly Rim Drive

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THOUGHTS ABOUT NATURE & SOLITUDE

“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving he can outwit nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”  E. B. White

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be.”  Anne Frank

“If I were to name the three most precious resources of life, I should say books, friends, and nature; and the greatest of these, at least the most constant and always at hand, is nature.”  John Burroughs

“What I see in Nature is a magnificent structure that we can comprehend only very imperfectly and that must fill a thinking person with a feeling of humility.  This is a genuinely religious feeling that has nothing to do with mysticism.”  Albert Einstein

“Our language has wisely sensed the two sides of being alone.  It has created the word ‘loneliness’ to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word ‘solitude’ to express the glory of being alone.”  Paul Tillich

“We live in a very tense society.  We are pulled apart. . . . and we all need to learn how to pull ourselves together. . . . I think that at least part of the answer lies in solitude.”  Helen Hayes

“Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.”  Lorraine Hansberry

“What a commentary on civilization, when being alone is being suspect; when one has to apologize for it, make excuses, hide the fact that one practices it—like a secret vice.”  Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.”  John Muir

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”  Henry David Thoreau

Traveling “That Ribbon of Highway”

Traveling “That Ribbon of Highway” (Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge:  This Land Is My Land, 2 Verses)

I have always liked Woody Guthrie’s ballad “This Land Is Your Land” that he wrote in 1940.  I was aware of the song from the 1960s when Peter, Paul & Mary sang it.  It moved me in great part because of the intimacy of the lyrics.  The beauty of this great country is truly yours, mine, ours, there for all to appreciate.  Even as a kid, I was aware that not everyone took the time to admire all the beauty around us. But it is always there.

As an adult, I travel by car as often as possible because it allows me a closer connection to the myriad of landscapes across the country.  I like the sense of freedom and solitude such drives give me.  Since the roads—paved or not—stretch from coast to coast across all terrains, I can visit most anywhere.  I prefer country roads over city streets, because there I am more apt to see nature, get the feel for the open road, and glimpse the vast panoramas of land and sky.

Here—with a little creative editing—is my favorite verse from the Guthrie’s song.

“As I was [traveling] that ribbon of highway

I saw above me the endless skyway. . . .

While all around me a voice was sounding

This land was made for you and me.”

The photos are from some of my recent travels, demonstrating the freedom, beauty and diversity of American highways.  I live in California and am often drawn to the Southwest for some adventures as well.  What are your favorite places to be out on the open road, on “that ribbon of highway”?

CALIFORNIA HIGHWAYS

Yosemite National Park

Sequoia National Park

Kings Canyon National Park

Eastern Sierra

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

See Canyon, Near Avila Beach

Big Sur Hills & Coastline

SOME MIDWESTERN HIGHWAYS

BOSQUE DE APACHE, NEW MEXICO, HIGHWAYS

SAUGARO NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA, HIGHWAYS

COLORADO HIGHWAYS

UTAH HIGHWAYS

Coral Reef National Park

Canyonlands National Park, Needles

Zion & Kolob Canyons National Park

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A LITTLE SIDE NOTE

As an adult, while I truly love the great beauty and diversity of this land of ours, I am equally aware of our country’s problems.  Guthrie was aware of the discrepancies in society as well, motivating a satirical if not cynical view to “This Land Is Your Land.”  He wrote the famed lyrics, in part, as a political protest.  Bruce Springsteen performed the song live in the 1980s, acknowledging the harsh realities evident in society that some say question the validity of the lyrics.  But through all the problems, the beauty and potential of America still shine through.  As Springsteen says in his opening comments, it’s “about one of the most beautiful songs ever written about America.” 

BOSQUE DEL APACHE: A Great Place for Silence & Solitude

Scenic sounds a bit too generic, too common.  Idyllic sounds too poetic.  I guess if I needed to describe Bosque del Apache in one word, I would use pastoral or rustic.  But it really is a challenge to capture in words the essence of a visit to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.  I visited this refuge in May 2014 and almost had the place to myself.  I shared it with a few other visitors, quite a few birds, some mule deer, and a bunny.

Getting to Bosque del Apache should have been easy.  It is situated off Interstate 25 between Albuquerque and Las Cruces.  I even had my new GPS to help me plan the route.  The problem was that I did not have an address and the little towns it was close too were too small to be in the GPS database.  It seemed lucky—at first—that one of the websites I was reviewing about the location had one of those how-to-get-there-from-wherever-you-are features set up.  I plugged in my hotel’s address and received what appeared to be a back road’s route into the refuge.  At one time along the way I would even be traveling on old Route 66.  How cool was that?  The total distance implied I would arrive at my destination in about 30 minutes.

Armed with these directions, I started out, quickly being led to a back road vs. a major thoroughfare.  The directions seemed to be working.  All the turns were showing up right on schedule.  But there were a few glitches.  As I went along, fewer of the roads were marked, and most were not paved.  Eventually I turned off the main back road I was on, but the new road was rough dirt and gravel with lots of pot holes and seemed to cut across a farmer’s fields.  As I drove, the route became progressively worse, bouncing me along through the dust allowing me to travel maybe 8 miles an hour.  When my next turn displayed the road sign “unpaved bureau of land management road” and the gravel and pot holes worsened, I decided it would be better to find another route.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  It was a beautiful drive.

I loved the wide open vistas, the blue skies, even the cattle who wandered back and forth between the fields and the “road.”  After I turned around, I made it back to the interstate and had been out and about on my wild goose chase for only a couple hours. For the rest of the day, I figured I would take a drive and see what I could find.  And there it was, right off the interstate, a little sign saying “Bosque del Apache.”  I took the exit and followed the county road to my destination.  The route still seemed fairly isolated, but there were houses and it was paved.

I was delighted to have finally arrived at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuse.  I was hoping for a chance to enjoy nature in solitude, marveling at a few wildflowers and maybe some birds.  I was not disappointed.  If I had visited in the fall, I would have seen many more birds. At that time of year, 10,000 sandhill cranes and some bald eagles settle in for the season.  But the heat was not too bad, there was a slight breeze, and I saw quite a few birds and only a couple other people.  Nature and Solitude—my kind of day!

Most of the refuge was accessible via various self-guided auto tours that traversed along fields and waterways.  The Visitors Center was a nice little respite where I could ask a few questions, use the bathroom, and buy a few postcards.  When I returned to the Center late in the day, after closing hours, I saw a road runner dart across the driveway, too fast to allow a picture.  This little bunny must’ve felt he was hidden well enough in the bushes that he did not need to run away.

But the best part of the day was the silence, the solitude, the beauty, the activity as I wandered along the byways and waterways of this wildlife refuge that covers over 57,000 acres in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley. The website’s description says the refuge is a verdant and fertile land—and that is certainly true.  I could not help but think of Basho’s words: “Amidst the splendor of the scene and the silence, I was filled with a wonderful peace.” 

It was a great day!

 DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PLACE WHERE YOU GO FOR SILENCE AND SOLITUDE?