| |
|
 |
|
| |
Categories: Arts & Culture; History & Heritage; Local Highlights
Sixty miles southwest of Albuquerque, a massive sandstone mesa rises 367 feet above the valley floor, its sides steep and almost impossible to scale. Acoma Pueblo (pronounced with the accent on the first A) sits atop this natural fortress. Acoma has been permanently inhabited since at least the 12th century, making it the oldest continually inhabited village in the U.S. Although many Acoma people live in other villages around the reservation, today the "Sky City" still has as many as 50 year-round residents dwelling in its one- and two-story adobe houses. The views across the valley to other mesas and distant mountains are breathtaking.
Register and pay for tours at the new Tourist/Cultural Center which opened in 2005. Photography permits can be arranged here as well; however, no digital cameras are allowed. You may wish to schedule your visit to coincide with one of the ceremonial events that are open to the public. Note that photography is strictly forbidden on ceremonial days. The most popular event is the feast of the pueblo's patron saint, Saint Estevan, held in September.
The residents of Acoma keep careful watch over the Franciscan mission church of San Esteban del Rey, which was established in 1629. Wood and stone for the church, completed in 1640, had to be hauled up the difficult path to the mesa top. The church still holds remnants and relics from the 1600s through the 1800s. The mission and the entire pueblo have been declared a National Historic Landmark.
|
Please call ahead to confirm details. We do our best to give you current information, but facts can change. Please let us know if you find something's changed.
|
|
