New Mexico Pueblos

"Pueblo" - the Spanish word for "town" or "village" - is used in New Mexico to refer to the series of small Native American communities in the state, most of which were established along the Rio Grande. This usage of the word dates back to the first Spanish explorers who passed through the area, who used the term to refer to what were then (and in some cases still are) Native communities housed in apartment-like structures built of adobe and stone, usually arranged around a plaza or perched atop a mesa for defense reasons.

Though often referred to in the collective, each pueblo is unique, with its own set of artistic, cultural and linguistic sensibilities, though they have often had to unite in response to outside forces. The pueblos' historical relationship with the Spanish settlers has varied considerably, from a violent revolt in 1680 in response to the extremely harsh measures the first conquistadors took in converting the Natives to Catholicism (to this day, the Pueblo Indians have tried to reconcile their Native beliefs with Catholic traditions) to more friendly terms in later years when the Pueblos would unite with their Spanish neighbors to fight other Native tribes in the area, like the Navajo, Apache and Comanche.

The absorption of New Mexico into the United States in the 1840s brought new difficulties, with many young Natives taken from their communities and placed in boarding schools in the decades that followed. Today, many Pueblo Indians live outside their historic settlements in modern-day housing. But in spite of all this, the Pueblo tribes proudly continue on, practicing the traditions their ancestors did. Some pueblos have taken measures to isolate themselves as a way of protecting their old traditions from an encroaching outside world, while others eagerly welcome visitors so long as they respect the locals' privacy and way of life.

Many, but by no means all, of the pueblo communities welcome visitors, usually with some restrictions. Following are some tips if you're planning to see the sights of these communities:

• Please respect local regulations regarding photography and sketching! Most north-central and central pueblos require would-be photographers and artists to pay for permits issued by the pueblo administration, and some don't allow photography or sketching at all. Do not photograph tribal members without first asking permission. Those who break the rules risk having their cameras and film confiscated. You will also want to refrain from bringing a cell phone onto a pueblo, as tribal officials could confiscate cell phones if they feel they might be used for photography. If the restrictions seem draconian, remember that these are not museum exhibits or theme parks: they are towns and settlements where people live their daily lives.
• Like any other village, these pueblos are a home to someone, so respect their property and their privacy. Do not litter. Do not enter homes unless invited to do so. Stay far away from kivas, ceremonial rooms, and cemeteries.

• Most of the pueblos and reservations hold ceremonial dances, feasts and songs that welcome visitors, as well as some others of a more private, religious nature at which visitors are unwelcome if not forbidden. Bear in mind that the pueblo people are very protective of their religious beliefs, so do not press questions about pueblo religion. You are also required to be silent during dances and ceremonies, which means no applauding and no talking to the participants. If this seems odd, think of the dances not as a performance, but as a religious ceremony: the equivalent of a church mass.
• Alcohol and drugs are not allowed on pueblo land.
• For many residents of some pueblos and reservations, not only is English not the primary daily language, it may not be spoken fluently or at all. Most residents in the "service" sector (i.e., those you will interact with first) are as fluent in English as their Anglophone colleagues in neighboring communities, and there is no reason to speak to them in a patronizing or condescending manner. However, if you venture far from the main tourist centers, you may run into language issues, although you are still odds-on to deal with English speakers. Patience and gestures will overcome many obstacles, but be aware that in certain areas it is considered rude to point with extended fingers. A nod or tip of the head for indicating direction is considered more polite (true among fluent English speakers as well).

There are a variety of ways to get in to New Mexico - see the Get in section on the New Mexico article for further details - but once you get in, you'll need a car to travel to and between the pueblos. Specific directions are given for each pueblo below. Roads are generally in good condition, but some are narrow and you may wind up on a couple of gravel roads for the more remote pueblos. Pueblos along a main road (such as those along I-25 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe) will usually have a gas station along said main road, but those pueblos off the beaten path will often have virtually nothing in terms of gas stations —head to the nearest town or large road to find one.

• 🌍 Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW (just north of I-40 in Albuquerque), ☏ +1 505 843-7270. Every day 9AM-4:30PM, closed on major holidays. Operated by the 19 Indian Pueblos of New Mexico, this complex has a small museum with some artifacts showing the culture and history of the pueblo people. The center also has an art gallery, a children's area, a restaurant, and a large gift shop. Indian Dances are a frequent event. $6 adults, $4 children, under age 5 free. 

There are also several museums across the state that, while not operated by the pueblos, offer a lot of great pueblo-related artworks and information. Here are some of the best ones:

• 🌍 Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, 710 Camino Lejo (on "Museum Hill" in Santa Fe), ☏ +1 505 476-1250. Tu-Su 10AM-5PM. While it doesn't focus specifically on the pueblos, there is a lot of art and artifacts from pueblo cultures at this large museum, which gives an excellent insight into pueblo culture and history. $8 (several discounts and free admission on occasion; discount pass for Museum of New Mexico applies). 
• 🌍 Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, 108 Cathedral Place (downtown across the street from St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe), ☏ +1 505 983-8900, toll-free: +1-888-922-4242. M-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM. Again not specifically focused on the pueblos, but you will find a lot of pueblo stuff here. The Institute for American Indian Arts (IAIA) is a long-standing Santa Fe institution devoted to contemporary Indian art that also sponsors the annual Santa Fe Indian Market. Adults $5, students and seniors (62+) $2.50; discounts for New Mexico residents and tribal members. 
• 🌍 Millicent Rogers Museum, on Millicent Rogers Road off of Paseo del Pueblo (north of Taos), ☏ +1 575 758-2462. Daily 10AM-5PM (closed on Mondays November–March). Famed artist Millicent Rogers collected an incredible number of southwest artworks, and her collection is the basis of this wonderful museum. You will see some magnificent pueblo artwork here, including gorgeous pottery, jewelry, and carvings. $10. 

Just about anywhere where there's plenty of tourists in New Mexico, there will be plenty of Native American art for sale. The Old Town area in Albuquerque and the Plaza areas in Santa Fe and Taos are packed with art galleries, many of them offering authentic Native American art, most of it extremely high-quality. You will also find plenty of touristy places which often sell the occasional piece of real Indian art alongside the postcards, t-shirts, mugs, and other kitsch.

In Santa Fe, Indian artists gather on the Portal (porch) at the Palace of the Governors museum on the Plaza, selling tourist trinkets like jewlery and small pottery. If it's on the Portal, it's guaranteed to be authentic Native American art, but sidewalk vendors elsewhere in town could be passing off non-Indian junk as authentic, so be careful.

If you want to be certain that what you're buying is authentic Native American art, sometimes the best thing to do is just go straight to the pueblos themselves. Virtually every pueblo contains at least several shops, located either along the main road near the entrance to the pueblo, or within the pueblo villages themselves in homes-turned-shops (be extra careful to make sure you're entering a shop and not someone's private residence, and don't venture into rooms behind the shop if it looks private as it probably is).

You can also attend annual festival markets. The Santa Fe Indian Market, held annually every August on the Santa Fe Plaza, is the largest such event, with hundreds of vendors selling an extremely wide range of Native American art. Events like the Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow mentioned above are also great chances to browse for art.

"New Mexican" cuisine (see the Eat section of the New Mexico page) is popular among pueblo peoples; after all, it is influenced by both the native and Hispanic cultures who have lived in the area for centuries. Many of the elements of "New Mexican" apply to Puebloan cuisine as well, but there are a few dishes which are distinctly Indian:

• Oven bread is very popular among the pueblos. It is baked in a horno, an outdoor beehive-shaped oven built out of adobe that uses a wood fire as its only heat source. Hornos are common in northern New Mexico and the bread baked in them is light and fluffy.
• Frybread is another common dish, made by frying or deep-frying a flat dough in oil or lard. It is similar to a sopaipilla (a common New Mexican dish) but different in that sopaipillas are pillowy and filled with air (and thus often stuffed with other ingredients) while frybread is thick and flatter. It can be served as a sweet dish with honey or powdered sugar added on top, or as an Indian taco with beans, ground beef, shredded cheese, and vegetables added on top.
• Cornbread is a traditional staple among the Pueblo people, and cornmeal has always played a significant role in Pueblo life.
• Posole is another staple of Pueblo cuisine. It is soup or stew made from hominy, often with pork, chili, corn, beans, and squash added.

Given how remote many of the pueblos are, you won't be able to find a significant amount of nightlife without traveling to Albuquerque or Santa Fe. However, nearly all of the casinos listed above serve drinks, and several of them bring in name-brand entertainment (primarily the large ones immediately surrounding Albuquerque and Santa Fe).

Beware: small-town bars here are not always good places for the out-of-state visitor to hang out. For one thing, northern New Mexico has significant problems with drunk driving, and the concentration of intoxicated drivers is high close to small-town bars. For another, there have been ethnic tensions intermittently in this part of the state that have led to serious bar fights, some of which have involved visitors. Tread carefully.

Ohkay Owingeh, Pojoaque, Santa Ana, Sandia, Isleta, Laguna, and Acoma Pueblos have hotels on-site, and nearly all of them are attached to their large casinos. However, accommodations at these hotels, which are usually full-on resorts with golf courses and such, are usually not cheap. A larger selection of accommodations can be found in Taos, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Gallup.

Some of these pueblos are quite remote. While you should do okay maintaining a cell phone signal in these parts, don't be surprised if you do lose it. Wi-fi is almost non-existent in the pueblos (except perhaps at some hotels), so it's not even worth the trouble to try.

The pueblos are just one of the many things to experience in New Mexico. However, if you're hankering for more Indian culture, head out to the Navajo or Apache reservations in the state. The Navajo Nation in northwest New Mexico is vast and has a lot to offer, as do the Jicarilla Apache Nation between Chama and Farmington in northwest New Mexico and the Mescalero Apache Reservation near Ruidoso in southeast New Mexico.

Another good activity for those interested in Pueblo culture is to visit the sites where the ancestors of today's pueblo people lived. Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Aztec Ruins National Monument north of Farmington, Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, and Bandelier National Monument are all fantastic places to see the remnants of the Ancient Pueblo peoples. For slightly more recent ruins, Coronado State Monument in Bernalillo, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in Mountainair, and Pecos National Historical Park on I-25 west of Santa Fe in the town of Pecos, offer a glimpse at pueblo life just after the Spanish arrived in New Mexico.