Taos, New Mexico Pueblo, by Kathy Weiser-Alexander
Situated throughout the southwest are dozens of historic pueblos, some of which date back for centuries. These Pre-Columbian towns and villages, which are primarily located in the American Southwest, were often situated in defensive positions on high mesas, cliffs, and canyons.
Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico
Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico
Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico
Kewa Pueblo, New Mexico
Nambé Pueblo, New Mexico
Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, New Mexico
Picuris Pueblo, New Mexico
Pojoaque Pueblo, New Mexico
San Felipe Pueblo, New Mexico
San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico
Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico
Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico
Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico
Zia Pueblo, New Mexico
Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico by Detroit Photographic Co., about 1900
Hopi Pueblo
Awatovi Ruins, Arizona
Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico
Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
Black Mesa, Arizona
Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona
Canyons of the Ancients, Colorado
Casa Grande National Monument, Arizona
Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico
Chimney Rock Archeological Site, Colorado
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Colorado
El Morro National Monument, New Mexico
Escalante Ruin, Colorado
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, New Mexico
Homolovi Ruins State Park, Arizona
Hovenweep National Monument, Colorado
Jemez State Monument/Giusewa Pueblo, New Mexico
Kinishba Ruins, Arizona
Kuaua Ruin (Coronado State Monument), New Mexico
Lowry Ruins, Colorado
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Montezuma Castle National Monument, Arizona
Mule Canyon Ruins, Utah
Navajo National Monument, Arizona
Pecos National Historic Park, New Mexico
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Pueblo Grand Ruin, Arizona
Puye Cliff Dwellings, New Mexico
Salinas National Monument, New Mexico
Salmon Ruins, New Mexico
Tonto National Monument, Arizona
Tuzigoot National Monument, Arizona
Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona
Wupatki National Monument, Arizona
Ute Mountain Tribal Park, Colorado
San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico by Edward S. Curtis, 1927
The term “pueblo” was first used by Spanish Explorers to describe the communities they found that consisted of apartment-like structures made of stone, adobe mud, and other local material. “Pueblo” also applied to the people who lived in these villages, which meant in Spanish “stone masonry village dweller.”
The Pueblo Indians, who built these communities, are thought to be the descendants of three major cultures, including the Mogollon, Hohokam, and Ancient Puebloans, with their history tracing back to some 7,000 years.
These apartment-like structures, sometimes several stories high, often surrounded an open plaza and were occupied by hundreds of thousands of Pueblo People.
The structures were usually made of cut sandstone or sun-dried bricks faced with adobe — a combination of earth mixed with straw and water. The outer walls were very thick, sometimes several feet, which provided insulation and defense. Normally, outer walls had no doors or windows but rather openings on the roofs with ladders leading into the interior. In case of an attack, outside ladders could easily be pulled up. The buildings had flat roofs, which served as working or resting places and observation points. Each family generally lived in just 1-2 rooms. Each pueblo was an independent and separate community, though many shared similarities in language, customs, and leaders.
Today, many of these centuries-old adobe pueblos are still maintained and occupied, and Pueblo Indian tribes number about 35,000 people who live primarily in New Mexico and Arizona along the Rio Grande and Colorado Rivers. Most of the pueblos are open to the public, and many of their ceremonies can be attended. Each pueblo has its own rules and etiquette for visitors, which should be reviewed before visiting.
In addition to contemporary pueblos, there are numerous ruins of ancient communities throughout the Southwest.
i have stumbled upon an older civilization of native healers who while not known by name were perhaps the origin of southwestern native american medicine. i have no other resource except a tale told to me while in college in pueblo, colorado. if anyone knows about this lost race please contact me at daletalbot70@gmail.com. thank you.