Living Memory: Around Pojoaque

 April 17th and 18th, 2025, were the final days of our Crow Canyon Archaeological Center's "Living Memory" tour/exploration. For cultural reasons, there were few opportunities for photos, which this blog often relies on. Hence, text.

 

Our visits took place in the general area of the Pojoaque lands, north of Santa Fe. Here's an outline of the Tewa-speaking pueblo territories in that region. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

On the 17th, we met Fermin Lopez, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer at the Pueblo of Pojoaque, at the Buffalo Thunder Resort/Casino. (This pueblo has had its ups and downs in the past, including abandonment and resettlement.)

United with our escort/guide, we drove past a largely shuttered horse farm and, after parking, took a short hike across an arroyo and up a hill. The landscape spread out before us. Fermin pointed out cultural landmarks and answered questions from us and our expert, Scott Ortman, an associate professor at the University of Colorado, and former Director of Research and Education at Crow Canyon.

We drove back to the casino for a cool indoor sack lunch, followed by a visit to the golf course behind it.

The green areas are the watered in-bounds part of the course.

They may seem incongruous, but it's an example of the pueblos' early experiences with sovereignty, of diverse methods of moving forward. Our group stayed on the dry-area paths between holes; this photo is at the edge of a parking lot.

The tension here was between economic development (tourism) and altering the natural features, perhaps disturbing ancient sites. One path took us up a short climb to a gap, facing west. Along the way Fermin, a fierce advocate of preserving indigenous traditions, continued to provide us with background and insights.

 

After dinner back in Santa Fe, our group took a walking tour through the edge of town along the Santa Fe River. The clouds glowed.

As dusk fell we reached the Louis Montano Park, beautifully decorated in honor of Santa Fe's Aztec roots.

The 18th was the last full day of our trip. We drove north again, to Cuyamungue, an area across the highway from Buffalo Thunder. Then we drove a distance along a dirt road and walked further up a riverbed, encountering artifacts and even one tarantula. At times three pre-contact village centers were in sight. The drive back out was challenging, but we emerged without the need to push the cars.

 

Less than two miles north, we visited the Poeh Cultural Center and Museum, in particular for their Pottery Exhibit.

After lunch, our group visited the Old Pueblito, including the tribal headquarters. Fermin walked us through the site, explaining the features of the location, and lingering feuds over water rights between Anglos and the indigenous, as well as disputes between different pueblos. At one point we passed through a barbed wire fence with the assistance of Scott and Fermin. Near the end of our visit, Fermin notified the tribal police of possible picture-takers walking along a pueblo road (possibly related to the Good Friday pilgrimage). The young man took his job seriously.

 

That evening, we had our farewell dinner at the Hotel Santa Fe, in the Amaya dining room. This was an elegant treat!

 

Joan and I had one more small adventure on the 19th, departure day. Our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until the afternoon. One of the Crow Canyon Staff Members, David, let us accompany him on a short hike to check out a nature trail north of town for a future trip that would include bird watching. A drizzle fell, and as the drive to the trail gained altitude, it turned into snow. I hope David gathered all the information he wanted before driving us to the airport.

Joan and I greatly enjoyed the "Living Memory" program of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. 

Living Memory: Tsama Pueblo and Abiquiu

On April 16, 2025, our Crow Canyon Archaeological Center tour headed north for multiple visits: the Tsama Pueblo site, the remains of the Santa Rosa de Lima church, and a ceremony at the Penitente Morada in Abiquiu. We started out with an hour's drive to the north-northwest. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

The Tsama Pueblo is an ancestral village site, a few miles south of Abiquiu, inhabited from the 1200s until the arrival of the Spanish. April Brown, Southwest Regional Director of the Archaeological Conservancy, was there to admit us to the site. (It required cutting a strand of barbed wire because the gate was stuck!)

 

Our expert, Scott Ortman, handed out two maps, one an outline of what had been discovered,

and another pointed out significant alignments of the site with the sun's annual journey.

On the ground, at first it doesn't look like much ...

The view looking north is similar ...

but there was a lot to observe,

and Scott explained a great deal of what is known about the cultural life of the pre-Spanish Tewa people who lived here, including their version of a moiety system: every Tewa belongs to either the Winter or Summer moiety/clan, and each moiety has specific responsibilities, such as seasonal ceremonies, and particular rules, such as rank and marriage prospects. It was an engaging presentation.

 

From there, we drove to the Abiquiu Inn for a fabulous al fresco lunch. We were a touch early, so lunch ran long, but the excellent food was worth the wait.

 

Next, in the early afternoon, we visited the nearby roadside ruins of Santa Rosa de Lima. The settlement plaza was abandoned in 1747, but the church remained in use until the 1930s.

The marker

Approaching what's left of the church.

Scott stands in front of the entrance.

A cross is aligned with the entryway.

Then it was a short drive back to Abiquiu, where we attended a ceremony at the Penitente Morada, a recently restored 18th Century meeting house/chapel of the Penitente Brotherhood. These laymen are recognized for their community charity and religious practices, including penance rituals. Usually, outsiders are not allowed within the morada... but Scott can open many doors. I was definitely not hauling out my camera while within the pueblo, but I've scraped this photo of the morada from the web:

Today, two days before Good Friday, the brotherhood sang/recited the stations of the cross in Spanish. We observed quietly, sitting on a bench along the wall. Afterward, they returned to English, entertained questions, and asked us for the names of those for whom we would request a blessing. To be present within this sanctuary was a rarity among rarities.

 

Our little group had a lot to talk about over dinner back in Santa Fe.

A Secret Hike

One day in July 2025, Joan and I participated in a guided hike in the Hocking Hills region of Ohio. I can't be more specific than that, because it was within private property and the owners so asked. However, I can present a few photos; click on any image to enlarge.

 

Our small group sets out. 

Running water and sandstone formations make for rock falls.

One tree with many parts missing sits on an outcrop above us.

Approaching the Big Formation.

Wow!

Photography galore. There were also flowers, including rattlesnake plantain and roundleaf catchfly, but I didn't manage to capture any of those ...

 

What a treat this hike was!

Living Memory: Chimayó and Acequias

On April 15th, 2025, our Crow Canyon tour drove north to the "Census Designated Place," or CDP,  of Chimayó, population about 3,000. We were there to visit the Santuario de Chimayó, a Catholic pilgrimage site that attracts about 300,000 visitors annually. Needless to say, it sprawls over a large campus with extensive parking. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

We arrived on the Tuesday before Good Friday, and the signs of that holy day were evident on our drive up. The traditional pilgrimage was underway, when pilgrims walk to Chimayó from as far away as Albuquerque, and possibly beyond. The event is recognized and supported by New Mexico, including port-a-johns on the side of the highway, signs directing the pilgrims to exit and re-enter at each interchange, illuminated signs warning drivers, and more. The New Mexico Department of Transportation is heavily involved. Not everyone who seeks Chimayó walks, of course, so the narrow rural roads closer to the site are congested on Friday. This Tuesday was definitely the right day to arrive!

 

It's difficult to summarize a site with such a deep history. The site is an extended complex, with "something for everybody," including indigenous people and Vietnamese refugees.

Outdoor meeting places populate the grounds.

This statue honors all the pilgrims who have arrived.

A close-up of the plaque.

Statuary is everywhere.

Even the restroom building has exterior pilgrimage art.

But the inside of all buildings, including the surprisingly intriguing gift shop, is a no-photo zone.

Chimayó began to develop around 1810. The adobe chapel, the actual sanctuary, and its two towers still stand.

Inside the chapel is the "Holy Dirt." The actual substance in the "well" comes from elsewhere. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

The relationship between the Spanish arrivals and the indigenous people was highlighted by priestly efforts; they pointed out similarities between indigenous practices and Catholic doctrine, such as the transmutation of wine into the blood of Jesus, which is then consumed by the priest.

Joan and I particularly enjoyed the Santo Niño Chapel, also known as the Chapel of the Children. Through the generosity of pilgrims, visitors, and benefactors, this chapel has been completely restored.

Filling shelves along the adobe walls are pairs of children's shoes left by pilgrims, which Joan and I found especially moving. They are intended for the Holy Infant of Atocha, whose origin is described thusly in Wikipedia, slightly edited for clarity and brevity: 

The caliph ordered that only children under the age of 12 were permitted to bring food to the Christian prisoners, and conditions became worse for men without small children. The women of Atocha (a neighborhood in Madrid) prayed before the statue of Our Lady of Atocha, a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to ask her son Jesus for help.

Reports soon began that a child under the age of twelve, dressed in pilgrim's clothing, had begun to bring food to childless prisoners at night. The women of the town returned to Our Lady of Atocha to thank the Virgin for her intercession and noticed that the shoes worn by the Infant Jesus were tattered and dusty. They replaced the shoes, but these became worn again. The people of Atocha took this as a sign that the Infant Jesus who went out every night to help those in need.

Another drive took us to an outdoor lunch (with permission) at a residence that includes part of the Estaca village archaeological site, located on the edge of the Rio Grande plain, which Dr. Ortman (Scott) had investigated before.

... Click on image to enlarge ...

He provided a handout with an overview of his findings.

This was an example of Scott's collaboration with the Pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh, examining the blending of Indio/Hispano cultures.

 

We walked down towards the Rio Grande for a discussion of acequias, an irrigation system based on both Spanish and indigenous practices. Maintaining the irrigation canals, especially the "mother" canal that taps the Rio Grande, is a community effort with oversight on how much water each participant is allowed. For further details on how it operates in New Mexico, check here. In this photo, Scott is gesturing to make a point.

A stretch of the channel for the property we were visiting.

Without the acequia system, agriculture in much of New Mexico would be difficult indeed. As it is, it's "merely" backbreaking work.

 

As we departed this area for Santa Fe, we stopped briefly at the Estaca Chapel and graveyard, where a gentleman unlocked the door and answered questions.

Back in Santa Fe, we had an hour or so of free time to browse independently downtown before having dinner at La Fonda. What a full day! (Hint: they all will be.) 

Living Memory: Phiogeh and Petroglyph Preserve

On April 13th, 2025, Joan and I flew to Santa Fe, NM, to join a five-day small group visit organized by the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, to learn about the "cultural convergences and histories of New Mexico," as Crow Canyon titled the event. After checking in at the Santa Fe Lodge, we had time to walk around crowded downtown Santa Fe for a look-about before the group dinner. This dragon-draped building caught my eye. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

The grounds of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi include this interesting sculpture:

Installed in the early 21st century, it commemorates the Spanish settlement of New Mexico. Around the base are the four animals they brought that were key to their efforts: horse, sheep, lamp, and pig. Here's the reverse side.

Let's take a closer look at the honorable pig.

Joan and I walked back to the lodge, feeling the altitude on the uphill bits (the airport sits at 6,348', or 1,935 meters). At dinner, we met our fellow travelers and the folks running this event, including Scott Ortman, who was the Director of Research and Education at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center before becoming an associate professor at the University of Colorado. His expertise and personal history were invaluable for liaison with indigenous representatives of the locations we would be permitted to visit.

 

April 14th began with a breakfast of coffee, burrito, muffins, yogurt, etc., brought in by the Crow Canyon Staff and consumed outside their unit of the lodge. Then we piled into the van and drove to Phiogeh, a Classic Period Tewa village located in the northern Espanola Valley. There we met Martin Martinez, Executive Director of the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project and 1st Lieutenant Governor at Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, who would be with us for most of the day.

 

Phiogeh sits on a barren terrace close by the Rio Grande River, nominally set aside from the road by barbed wire. After we entered, Scott and Martin pointed out the cultural aspects of the location, including the sunrise/sunset points at the solar equinoxes and winter/summer maximums, and how specific colors are associated with the cardinal points. For example, blue represents the west, symbolizing the evening. We also received a précis of the Spanish arrival, the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, and the return of the Spanish twelve years later. It was quite the first introduction to Pueblo history!

 

This site, like most on this tour, emphasized Site Etiquette. A primary instruction was to never pick anything up, as that would expose you to the lingering influence of the previous owner, and removing it from its original location could diminish its archaeological value. (Potsherds are OK at some sites as long as you put them back where you found them.) In some areas and situations, you shouldn't take photos, use a recording device, take notes, wear shorts, or drink alcohol.

 

Several homes were nearby. At first glance, the rough, dry slope didn't look like much, but once my eye tuned to ignore modern trash, artifacts abounded. One might see a pottery sherd, and Scott would identify it, for example, as "Northern Rio Grande Indented Corrugated."

 

After our visit to Phiogeh was finished, we drove to the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project. The exact location is not publicized to help protect it.

The placard on Martin's truck.

There's a moderate amount of uphill to the mesa. Partway up, I took this photo, complete with mountains on the horizon. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Joan pauses to ponder.

Fabulous images, drawn with a purpose; otherwise, why put in the time and effort?

Is this location an art museum, a cathedral, or ??

Lighting and contrast are everything, and of course, they change by the hour!

Some symbols have a modern look to them.

If you would like to see more, there's a wonderful video here.

 

The afternoon fled by, and soon we were at dinner. We eagerly awaited tomorrow, with visits as diverse as pilgrimage sites and water management ahead.