On a whim I decided to visit Acoma Pueblo on someone’s recommendation. This turned out to be a very good recommendation. It was about an hour’s drive from Santa Fe to Albuquerque and then another hour to Acoma Pueblo which is west from Albuquerque along the I-40. I am so glad I took the trip – it was fascinating to see the way the Native Americans live and their traditional dwellings.
It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the U.S.A. No electricity (although some have generators), no running water (they bring in water from one of the three villages) and no sewerage (I noticed they had portaloos). The Pueblo was atop a hill (a sandstone mesa to be precise) and the scenery was magnificent. Wide sweeping vistas reminiscent of any of the old westerns I
saw as a kid. It was very hot up at the Pueblo and luckily I had brought an umbrella with me so I was shaded from the sun bearing down on me. The language of Acoma is Keresan which was an oral language only. Recently they have taken to writing it down phonetically using the English alphabet (modern Latin alphabet) so that their language may survive. Many of the inhabitants are artisans and had their wares for sale outside their houses.
There was a cemetery and mission church called San Esteban del Rey. Out of respect we were asked to not take photos of these areas.
Late afternoon I returned to Albuquerque and checked into my hotel before grabbing some dinner and watching the 4th July fireworks that seemed to be happening in many various places around the city.
