Native American Sites of Albuquerque
Kokopelli is the generic name for a Native American symbol found in the Southwest. He’s always depicted as a hunchback, flute player. He appears to be dancing and has been described as a happy wanderer. As much as I travel, the name “happy wanderer” captured my imagination.
He has a fan club, besides me, with popularity far out-stripping most similar depictions, such as a gecko or snake. I once saw a store filled with nothing but items featuring Kokopelli. You can guess the name of the store.
At Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, N.M., an estimated 20,000 images have been carved into the black rock. There’s at least one hunchback flute player and I saw him! The entire complex covers 17 miles of Albuquerque’s West Mesa, a volcanic basalt escarpment that dominates the city’s western horizon.
Visitors walk along winding trails on the edge of the rock to see the carvings. We didn’t walk far before seeing the first image. If you’re ambitious, you can climb high along the paths.
Carved by native peoples and early Spanish settlers, a number of the images are easily recognizable as insects snakes, birds, people and geometric designs. Others are more complex, with significance known only to the hand that carved them.
This is an extraordinary place in more ways than one. Modern Native Americans consider the entire monument a sacred landscape that demands respect. They view the carvings are messages left by their ancestors.
We also made the trek to Acoma Pueblo, about 80 miles from Albuquerque, N.M.
Acoma Pueblo is on top of a high mesa, and has been home to the Acoma Indians since the 1200s. This village is one of oldest continuously occupied locations in North America.
Sky City Cultural Center is situated at the base of the Pueblo. This venue showcases world-renowned Acoma pottery, offers traveling exhibitions, plus provides an introduction to the living culture of the tribe. It’s also hoped the center will help sustain their heritage; no easy task in our fast-changing world.
From the center, visitors go up the hill on a small bus and get a guided tour of about an hour.
Arid and dusty, there are still those who live on top of the mesa even today. My first impression was the nearly absolute silence. I expect big city dwellers couldn’t fathom living in such an isolated place.
Guides explain how the pueblo dwellings were constructed and tell of life in ancient times. Panoramic views span out in all directions.
We were able to enter a beautiful Spanish-style church devoted to San Esteban del Rey, the patron saint of the Acomas since the l600s.
This church ascribes to the “less is more” theory, with only a half dozen pews toward the front and the rest open space.
Birds, pleased to find protection and shade were twittering in the rafter’s overhead as the guide explained Acoma history.
It was one of the few sounds to be heard, besides the gentle “whoosh” of wind.
A small graveyard within a remaining wall sits next to the church. Since the mesa is basically nothing but rock, it’s said the Acoma tribe had to carry soil up the hill to make burials possible. The views from the graveyard seem to continue on forever.
While in the village some photography restrictions apply, so be sure to inquire.
