The site was chosen, in part, because it offered the tribe a defensive position against raiders. Access to the pueblo was difficult because the mesa faces were sheer. Before modern times, people could access it only by a hand-cut staircase carved into the sandstone.

For centuries, the Acoma people farmed the valley below the Acoma Pueblo using irrigation canals in the villages closer to the Rio San Jose River. They also traded with neighboring pueblos and, over long distances, with the Aztec and Mayan peoples.

The pueblo was already well established when Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was the first European to lay eyes on it in 1540, describing it as: “One of the strongest ever seen, because the city was built on a high rock. The ascent was so difficult that we repented climbing to the top.”

Because of its inaccessibility, Acoma was one of the most resistant pueblos to Spanish rule. During early Spanish contact, reports indicated that the Acoma were friendly, often meeting expedition parties at the bottom of the mesa to greet and assist them. However, as Spanish presence grew more persistent, the Acoma retaliated.

In 1598, Governor Juan de Oñate, under orders from the King of Spain, invaded New Mexico and began staging raids on Native American pueblos in the area, taking anything of value. When the Spanish soldiers arrived, they made their headquarters at Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, formerly called San Juan Pueblo, about 25 miles North of Santa Fe. Upon their arrival, they removed the Tewa tribe who lived there and used it as a base to stage more raids on other Native American pueblos in the area.

In response, Oñate resolved to make an example of Acoma and dispatched 70 of his best men, under the command of Vicente de Zaldivar, to attack the Acoma Pueblo. On January 21, 1599, the Spanish troops came into view of the pueblo, and the tribe fanned out from their village to guard the mesa’s edge. The defenders unleashed a barrage of rocks and arrows as the Spaniards drew closer. Despite the defensive barrage coming from atop the mesa, the soldiers fought their way to the top over the next three days. During the battle, the Spaniards brought a small cannon up the back of the mesa and began firing into the village. The battle then became a massacre, and when it was over, as many as 800 Acoma people were dead and their pueblo in ruins.

Afterward, the survivors were marched to the Santo Domingo Pueblo (now known as the Kewa Pueblo), where all males over the age of 12 were condemned to 20 years of servitude. Of the few dozen Acoma men of fighting age who were still alive after the battle, they were sentenced to have one foot cut off. The surviving children under 12 were taken from their parents and given to Spanish missionaries to raise. However,  most of them, as well as the women, were sold into slavery. Oñate was later tried, convicted of cruelty to Indians and colonists, and was banished from New Mexico. However, he appealed the ruling and was later cleared of all charges. He lived out the rest of his life in Spain.

During the 1600s, tensions remained high between the Spanish and native peoples throughout the Southwest. Much of the conflict centered on religious disagreements. The abuses of power by religious and political authorities eventually led to the Pueblo Revolt. On August 10, 1680, some 17,000 Puebloans, including 6,000 warriors, rose in vengeance against 2,500-3,000 colonists. The tribes struck mission churches, killing 22 of 33 friars and demolishing and burning many of them. Warriors attacked isolated farms and haciendas, killing entire families. The Acoma participated in the Revolt by killing the Spanish friars who were living at the mesa at the time but did not destroy the church. It was one of the few Spanish missions that survived the revolt intact. In the end, the Spanish were driven out of New Mexico.

However, the Puebloans were again forced to submit to Diego de Vargas in 1692. The Acoma joined another uprising in 1696 but were again subdued in 1699.

Today, the San Estevan del Rey Mission church houses the most extensive inventory of early 17th-century building materials of any structure in New Mexico. It features an extensive Spanish colonial ecclesiastical art collection, an original hand-hewn circular staircase, hand-carved rails, and paintings.

Acoma, along with the Hopi town of Oraibi, Arizona, is the oldest inhabited settlement in the United States. A federally recognized Indian Tribe, the Acoma Pueblo now has a land base covering 431,664 acres and is home to 4,800 tribal members. The San Estevan del Rey Mission and the Pueblo have been proclaimed National Historic Landmarks.

Today, fewer than 50 of the 3,000 Acomans live at the pueblo, and the rest live in nearby villages. The Acoma Pueblo is known for its superb pottery. A permanent exhibit, One Thousand Years of Clay, is housed in the Visitors Center at the base of the mesa, along with native food and crafts shops.

The tribe also operates the Acoma Route 66 Interpretive Center just off I-40 and the Acoma Commercial Center. The pueblo offers fishing for a fee at its newly built Acoma Lake.

The pueblo is 60 miles West of Albuquerque on Interstate 40 and 12 miles South on Indian Route 23. From Grants, Acoma is just 12 miles East on I-40. The pueblo offers guided tours between March and October. A fee is required, and cameras without a license are not allowed. Check with the Sky City visitor center at the base of the mesa.

Contact Information:

Acoma Pueblo
P.O. Box 309
Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico 87034
505-552-6604

See our Puebloan Photo Galleries HERE

 

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated September 2026.

Also See:

Ancient & Modern Pueblos

Pueblo Indians – Oldest Culture in the U.S.

Pueblo and Reservation Etiquette

Pueblo Revolt – Rising Against the Spaniards

Sources:

Acoma Pueblo
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Wikipedia