Enjoyed our drive from Albuquerque to Gallup along the I-40 west. Different scenery and a few crazy drivers! On Friday afternoon, Linda needed a bathroom break and we happened upon a Visitors Information centre at El Malpais. It was a big centre and there were only a couple of cars, I guess because the school holidays are over and the snowbirds are yet to drive south from places north. The two officers who worked there were ready for a chat and gave us information about events happening over the weekend. We said to them that we had wanted to go to the Acoma Pueblo today and that we couldn’t get an answer on the phone from them. One of the officers said that they’d had a couple in earlier who’d been there that day (Friday) and were raving about it. So we decided we would go on Saturday (today)!
David talked to them about the black lava
like formations we were noticing and she showed us on the map that this whole
area is a dormant volcano erupting up until about 3000 years ago. So David’s hunch was right – it was
lava. There are many walking trails and
one is along the old Zuni-Acoma trading trail.
No time to do that though L
Arrived at the Springfield Suites Marriott
in Gallup – brand new hotel, only opened on August 2nd.
Saturday morning we were up early and on
the road by 8.30am. It was cool again,
in the mid 50’s F, we needed coats. Hit
the I-40 east bound headed to Grants and then to Acoma Pueblo. It took us nearly 1.5hrs to get there as the
last 20 or so miles was a B-grade track.
Acoma Pueblo
Parked at the visitor’s centre – guided
tours only, $23 per person for 1.5hr tour which also included entry into the
museum and camera pass. David had to
show her the camera and it was ticketed.
Our tour started in 3 minutes (what good timing!) and we alighted a
shuttle bus with 3 other couples. Had to
been driven up to the top of the mesa. A
young Acoman woman was our tour guide.
Absolutely amazing place!
Discover the centuries-old history of New Mexico’s southwest Indians. Acoma Pueblo offers a window in time where Native people carry on the customary traditions of their ancestors through Native American pottery making and tribal celebrations. Educational tours and cultural exhibits are designed to generate a broader and deeper understanding of the Acoma People.
Acoma Pueblo is built atop a sheer-walled, 367-foot sandstone bluff in a valley studded with sacred, towering monoliths. Since 1150 A.D., Acoma Pueblo has earned the reputation as the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America. The mesa-top settlement is known worldwide for its unique art and rich culture.
A federally recognized Indian Tribe, Acoma Pueblo has a land base covering 431,664 acres and is home to 4,800 tribal members with more than 250 dwellings, none of which have electricity, sewer, or water. In 1629, construction began on the massive San Esteban del Rey Mission, a Catholic mission. Both the Mission and the Pueblo are Registered National Historical Landmarks and are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Acoma Pueblo was named the 28th Historic Site by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) in 2007 and is the only Native American site to be designated. Acoma assists the NTHP to expand its preservation activities and mission beyond bricks and mortar and into community development.
Plenty of potters and artists with small
tables outside their kivas (houses) with wares to sell. Beautiful work and we purchased a couple of
potted items. Took as many photos as we
could – not allowed to photograph inside the church or cemetery nor any local
people without asking permission first.
A few small, friendly dogs running around! The top of the mesa was 7000ft above sea
level.
The pottery of Acoma, aside from its prized artistic value, was originally functional. Pottery provided storage, cooking, and eating. Water jugs were used by the men of Acoma for long hunting trips or camping. Other pots were used as seed pots to store seeds for planting in the comng years. Today the pottery of Acoma is not only revered and collecter for its unique artistic characteristics but also because of its immensely rich historical value.
Two of the homes with an 'horno' oven in between. Great view!
Another view from the top of the mesa.
The Acoma homes traditionally didn't have doors but an opening in the roof. The Indians used white ladders (the colour of the clouds) to climb up or down to be able to enter the home.
Left after midday and starving, drove to
Grants and found Denny’s for lunch. On
our return journey, we detoured to State Highway 53 and drove to El Morro, a
National Monument.
El Morro
El Morro National Monument is a fascinating mixture of both human and natural history. Rising 200 feet above the valley floor, this massive sandstone bluff was a welcome landmark for weary travelers. A reliable waterhole hidden at its base made El Morro (or Inscription Rock) a popular campsite. Beginning in the late 1500s Spanish, and later, Americans passed by El Morro. While they rested in its shade and drank from the pool, many carved their signatures, dates, and messages. Before the Spanish, petroglyphs were inscribed by Ancestral Puebloans living on top of the bluff over 700 years ago. The softness of the sandstone made it easy to carve pictures, names, dates and messages. Ironically, that is also the reason that the famous inscriptions are slowly disappearing. Today, El Morro National Monument protects over 2,000 inscriptions and petroglyphs, as well as Ancestral Puebloan ruins.
"This weekend was the US Camel Corps
Commemoration! In 1857 the US Camel Corps expedition passed by and etched their legacy into the rock. Join us to learn about the struggle the men and the camels endured. Educational presentations, kids craft activities, ranger programs and of course, camels!"
So we listened to the stories from an
historian and patted all four camels.
One was pregnant and her name was Cinco.
Gestation is 13 months and she will give birth to a 65-70lb baby next
July. When our historian heard us speak,
he asked us where we were from and when we replied, he was like, ‘What are you
guys here for? Haven’t you seen enough
camels? That’s where my camels came
from!’ LOL! He chatted with us for quite
a while.
We then went into the Visitors Centre and
registered and walked the ‘Inscription Trail’ – about half a mile long (800m)
past the bottom of El Morro where the various travellers had etched pictures,
messages, names/dates into the sandstone.
That’s why it’s a National Monument, because there are petroglyphs
dating back to the Indians and Europeans to 1692. They all travelled past this way because it
was the only known reliable source of water for 50 miles.
Whilst in the Visitors Centre signing the register, I happened to see the fetish display of carved animals. This is primarily a Zuni (Indian) art form and we have come to like them a lot! We decided to take home an onyx raven, with turquoise blue eyes and a
red berry in its mouth! The lady working
there told me a story about some workers who were recently repainting the white lines in
the carpark and there was a raven who hung around a lot, even tried to come in
the front door! Unusual for a raven and the
rangers thought there was something wrong with it. Anyway, when the painter wasn’t looking,
the raven hopped up onto the paint can and dipped his beak – ending up with a
white beak and toe nails – she wanted to name him ‘Paint’ but the native rangers
named him ‘White Socks’. She loved that
bird but as rangers, not allowed to befriend it or feed it etc. She suggested we might like to name him 'White Socks' if we wanted to!
Whilst looking at the information wall, I saw an ad for the Wolf Sanctuary and
wanted to go there – it was only 13 miles away – but it was too late in the
afternoon L So we decided we’d better
hit the road and travel back to Gallup, another 80 miles (1hr) to travel.
The hotel had an indoor heated pool and hot
tub so we indulged ourselves in some relaxation! Had such a great day!
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