A peek into the pueblo way of life

Travelers who venture out of the New Mexican cities of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, or Taos enjoy what many refer to as "Indian time," a sense that community and the cycle of seasons and life are more important than the incessant ticking away of seconds, minutes, and hours.

The pueblos of New Mexico are a testament to this. There are no street names, most of the roads are unpaved, and the houses are not numbered. Bread is still baked in outdoor adobe ovens, and costumes worn for ancient rituals and religious ceremonies are painstakingly hand-sewn for each event.

Pueblo, the Spanish word for village, is a way of life for native Americans in the Southwest. Often referred to as Pueblo Indians, these people come from different tribes, but share one similarity - their stone and adobe houses. Today, there are 19 pueblo communities located in New Mexico whose inhabitants speak dialects of three distinct language families.

Each pueblo operates under its own government and therefore sets its own guidelines and rules. Local governments are largely funded by admission fees of between $3 and $10.

Travelers should stop by the visitors' center at each pueblo before exploring the community to check the regulations that might apply to them. Sometimes cameras, camcorders, and even sketching are forbidden in the pueblos. When those are allowed, permits can be obtained at the visitors' center and typically cost an extra $5 to $25.

While permits may allow guests to photograph the landscape and historical architecture, kivas (sacred pitlike structures used during ceremonies), cemeteries, and ceremonial dances are off-limits.

Of the 19 statewide pueblos, the northern villages are the most accustomed to visitors, and are easily accessible from the major cities.

Tesuque, Pojoaque, Nambe, San Ildefonso, San Juan, and Santa Clara are all within 30 miles of Santa Fe. Taos and Picuris are two hours from Santa Fe and three hours from Albuquerque.

Early risers departing from Santa Fe can make a day trip to the two most famous pueblos, San Ildefonso and Taos, and still have time to explore nearby Bandelier National Monument to learn more about the ancient ancestors of the pueblo people.

This village, nestled between the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo Mountains, is located on the Rio Grande, so in the Tewa language, it is known as Poh-Wa-Geh - "place where the water cuts down through." Villagers can trace their ancestry back to those who dwelled in the cliffs (today known as Bandelier National Monument). When drought struck in ancient times, they moved to more fertile lands, settling the village of Poh-Wa-Geh in 1300 AD. Today, on average, 20,000 visitors come annually, primarily for the black-on-black ware made famous by Maria Martinez in the 1920s. Families selling pottery or other crafts post signs outside their homes indicating they are open for business. Call for hours and events, (505) 455-2273. San Ildefonso is located 23 miles north of Santa Fe, and can be reached via US 84/285 to N.M. 502.

After your visit to San Ildefonso, continue on N.M. 502 to N.M. 4, following signs to Bandelier National Monument. The 15-mile drive on long, sharp-turning roads can take as long as 30 minutes. Named in memory of Adolph Bandelier, a 19th-century anthropologist who was among the first to study pueblo life, this park covers more than 30,000 acres. A short path from the visitors' center leads to the most dramatic trail along Frijoles Canyon. Visitors can explore pueblo ruins and climb into rooms carved out of soft, volcanic rock, which are thought to have been inhabited from the 1100s to the mid-1500s. For park hours and information, call (505) 672-3861 (ext. 517).

Taos, which means "place of the red willows" in Tiwa, is the northernmost of the New Mexico pueblos. Inhabited for nearly 1,000 years, it is both a World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark. It is also the largest existing multistoried pueblo structure in the United States, made up of many individual homes that share common walls.

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