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.

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.