Pueblo-of-Acoma Travel Guide
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Your best base for exploring the Acoma and Laguna pueblos, as well as the El Malpais and El Morro National Monuments, is the town of Grants, 1 1/4 hours west of Albuquerque on I-40 west.
Acoma Pueblo
The spectacular Acoma Sky City, a walled adobe village perched high atop a sheer rock mesa 367 feet above the 6,600-foot valley floor, is said to have been inhabited at least since the 11th century -- it's the longest continuously occupied community in the United States. Native history says it has been inhabited since before the time of Christ. Both the pueblo and its mission church of San Esteban del Rey are National Historic Landmarks. When Coronado visited in 1540, he suggested that Acoma was "the greatest stronghold in the world"; those who attempt to follow the cliff-side footpath down after their guided tour, rather than take the bus back down, may agree.
About 50 to 75 Keresan-speaking Acoma (pronounced Ack-oo-mah) reside year-round on the 70-acre mesa top. Many others maintain ancestral homes and occupy them during ceremonial periods. The terraced three-story buildings face south for maximum exposure to the winter sun. Most of Sky City's permanent residents make their living off the throngs of tourists who flock here to see the magnificent church, built in 1639 and containing numerous masterpieces of Spanish colonial art, and to purchase the thin-walled white pottery with brown-and-black designs for which the pueblo is famous.
Many Acomas work in Grants, 15 miles west of the pueblo; in Albuquerque; or for one of Acoma's business enterprises, such as Sky City Casino. Others are cattle ranchers and farm individual family gardens.
Laguna Pueblo
This major Keresan-speaking pueblo consists of a central settlement and five smaller villages not far from Acoma Pueblo and just over a half-hour from Grants. In fact, Lagunas are closely related to the Acomas who live just 14 miles away. Founded after the 1680 revolt by refugees from the Rio Grande Valley, Laguna is the youngest of New Mexico's pueblos and has about 7,000 residents. Today, many Lagunas are engaged in agriculture or private business, including a tribal-operated commercial center. Federal funds brought modern housing facilities and scholarship programs, one of which helped start the career of famous Laguna author Leslie Marmon Silko. The employment rate here is high, and this is widely considered one of New Mexico's wealthiest pueblos.
