Places: Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico
Many Native tribes in North America live far away from their ancient homelands and much tangible evidence of their ancient pasts are lost. The Pueblo people of Acoma, near Albuquerque, New Mexico, have managed to buck that trend. The Acoma inhabit three villages that make up their pueblo, Old Acoma or Sky City, which sits atop a mesa, and two villages below the mesa, Acomita and McCarty's. Oral tradition states that they've been living on this mesa for nearly 2,000 years. Modern archaeology can account for at least 800 years of continuous habitation, a personal best by an standards.
The Anglo-Spanish name Acoma was borrowed from a Pueblo word of which the exact meaning has been lost today. Some sources indicate that it may related to words meaning a Place of Preparedness, or a Place That Always Was, or possibly People of the White Rock. The Spanish mission established here was San Esteban de Acoma. Many people speak their ancient language in addition to English and some Spanish. The Acoma people are believed to descend from ancient cliff dwellers such as the Anasazi and Mogollon. In the 13th century, according to European reckoning, the Anasazi abandoned their cliff dwellings due to climate change and social upheavals and moved to the mesas instead. Archaeology dates Acoma Pueblo to about this time. The mesa provided a natural fortress against Navajo and Apache raiders.
The black slave Esteban, one of the survivors of the failed Narvaez Expedition of 1528, was the first non-Native to visit Acoma. He later spoke to Fray Marcos de Niza about it. In Spanish records of the time, it was called the Kingdom of Hacus. Estevan himself called the people encaconados, referring to the turquoise stones they used to ornament their noses and ears. In 1540, Hernando de Alvarado, leading an advance party of Coronado's Expedition, called the place Acuco and said that it was built on top of solid rock and one of the strangest places he'd ever seen. He noted that the village was impregnable, with plenty of room atop the mesa to plant corn and collect rain water in stone cisterns. The people had clothing of hides as well as woven cotton, turquoise jewelry, domesticated turkeys, bread, pine nuts and corn. The Spanish visited Acoma from time to time, though the Acoma were careful to resist any efforts to conquer them. They later agreed to peace with Juan de Onate.
The Spanish soon found a way to get past Acoma's defenses, and were able to climb the southern mesa and even drag up cannon. They battered Acoma's walls, engaging in a massacre of the inhabitants of the pueblo that last three days. Warriors defending the pueblo were captured, had their hand or foot cut off and were sent in to slavery. Inhabitants of the villages over 12 were also enslaved. Marks of the bombardment can still be seen in older houses in Sky City. Onate would later be recalled to Spain, in part because of his treatment of the Native inhabitants of New Mexico. No wonder that Acoma threw its support behind Pope's Revolt of 1680. Acoma's inhabitants later agreed to adopt Catholicism, but continued to practice traditional ways as best they could.
In 1641, the mission church of San Estevan de Rey was completed. The church is still standing today. It has since been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Acoma managed to hold onto their land despite the Indian Wars of the 19th century and were granted the rights to their land by Congress in 1924. A few families still live on the mesa, which has no running water or electricity. Tourism is allowed, though like many people the Acoma prefer to conduct their religious ceremonies in private.
The Anglo-Spanish name Acoma was borrowed from a Pueblo word of which the exact meaning has been lost today. Some sources indicate that it may related to words meaning a Place of Preparedness, or a Place That Always Was, or possibly People of the White Rock. The Spanish mission established here was San Esteban de Acoma. Many people speak their ancient language in addition to English and some Spanish. The Acoma people are believed to descend from ancient cliff dwellers such as the Anasazi and Mogollon. In the 13th century, according to European reckoning, the Anasazi abandoned their cliff dwellings due to climate change and social upheavals and moved to the mesas instead. Archaeology dates Acoma Pueblo to about this time. The mesa provided a natural fortress against Navajo and Apache raiders.
The black slave Esteban, one of the survivors of the failed Narvaez Expedition of 1528, was the first non-Native to visit Acoma. He later spoke to Fray Marcos de Niza about it. In Spanish records of the time, it was called the Kingdom of Hacus. Estevan himself called the people encaconados, referring to the turquoise stones they used to ornament their noses and ears. In 1540, Hernando de Alvarado, leading an advance party of Coronado's Expedition, called the place Acuco and said that it was built on top of solid rock and one of the strangest places he'd ever seen. He noted that the village was impregnable, with plenty of room atop the mesa to plant corn and collect rain water in stone cisterns. The people had clothing of hides as well as woven cotton, turquoise jewelry, domesticated turkeys, bread, pine nuts and corn. The Spanish visited Acoma from time to time, though the Acoma were careful to resist any efforts to conquer them. They later agreed to peace with Juan de Onate.
The Spanish soon found a way to get past Acoma's defenses, and were able to climb the southern mesa and even drag up cannon. They battered Acoma's walls, engaging in a massacre of the inhabitants of the pueblo that last three days. Warriors defending the pueblo were captured, had their hand or foot cut off and were sent in to slavery. Inhabitants of the villages over 12 were also enslaved. Marks of the bombardment can still be seen in older houses in Sky City. Onate would later be recalled to Spain, in part because of his treatment of the Native inhabitants of New Mexico. No wonder that Acoma threw its support behind Pope's Revolt of 1680. Acoma's inhabitants later agreed to adopt Catholicism, but continued to practice traditional ways as best they could.
In 1641, the mission church of San Estevan de Rey was completed. The church is still standing today. It has since been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Acoma managed to hold onto their land despite the Indian Wars of the 19th century and were granted the rights to their land by Congress in 1924. A few families still live on the mesa, which has no running water or electricity. Tourism is allowed, though like many people the Acoma prefer to conduct their religious ceremonies in private.
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