About the Pueblo Indians
The Pueblo Indians have contributed significant architectural influence to many areas of the southwest, including Arizona and New Mexico. Their trademark adobe structures, with ladders propped on an upper level balcony or overhang, have given inspiration to modern day architects.
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Identification
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The Spanish named this group of people "Pueblo," which means "town." The Pueblo lived in villages with houses and in some cases, multi-storied structures that resemble apartment buildings. Made from adobe or stone, some houses had as many as four stories and ladders were used to move from one floor to another. Families would often live in the same building with connecting dwellings, bringing together parents, children, grandparents, aunts and uncles under one roof.
Features
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The Pueblo people belonged to different communities that shared similar customs. Six different languages were spoken amongst the different groups. Each of their villages had their own governmental system, ruled by religious leaders. They built irrigation systems to water crops, collected berries and hunted game. They were known for being excellent pottery makers and weavers of beautiful baskets.
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Geography
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The Pueblo people have lived in the same region for longer than any other people in the United States and Canada. They lived in villages in what is now New Mexico and Arizona. Nineteen villages in New Mexico, areas along the Rio Grande River and regions between Taos and Albuquerque were where most of the Pueblo resided. Some also lived in Acoma and Luguna in west central Mexico, in the high plateau areas called mesas.
History
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The Pueblo people are descendents of the Anasazi, who were known as the cliff dwellers. These early people built homes into the side of cliffs, in regions of northern Arizona, northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, around 700 to 1300 A.D. They moved south by 1300 A.D. The Spanish encountered the Pueblo in the 1500's. The Spanish attempted to convert the Pueblo to Christianity and for a time enslaved the natives, forcing them to work and share their crops.
Time Frame
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In 1598, the Spanish established a settlement near the Pueblo. Pope, a Pueblo leader, led a successful revolt against the Spanish in 1680. In 1692, the Spanish regained control over the Pueblo. From 1821 to 1846, Mexico ruled the Pueblo region. 1846-1848 the Mexican War resulted in the United States assuming control of the region. In 1970, the Pueblo of Taos won control of their sacred lake, Blue Lake.
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