This post is a bit of a deviation from my usual focus on overseas travel and study. What you see here is a roadtrip I took a couple of summers ago (playing catch up here) to see and hear about some of the pre-colonial and colonial sites in my homeland of New Mexico. The first photo was taken at a sculpture called “Camino de Sueños.” It’s one of many markers on the old Camino Real de Tierra Adentro - a trade route established by northern and southern tribes. Like most trade routes, it was appropriated by incoming conquering forces - the Spanish in this case. While the sculpture’s title denotes an optimism of future prospects, the camino, in fact, was disastrous for many of the tribes in the region.
The next two photos are of the 17th-century mission of San Gregorio de Abó. This mission was established by Fray Francisco Fonte following Juan de Oñate’s expedition north in 1598. The area, now north-central New Mexico, was inhabited by descendants of the Anasazi and Mogollon peoples since the 14th century at least. One of three in the Salinas National Historical Park, this mission well represents the Spanish imperial project of conquest in part, through conversion. What is curious about this mission is that a kiva was incorporated into the courtyard of the church. The kiva, the circular pit in the photo, is traditionally used by Pueblo tribes for religious ceremonies (or sometimes political meetings such as the proposed negotiations between Zucatapan and Juan de Oñate). The Hopi folk continue to use them. There’s no indication as to what, exactly, this kiva was used for while the Spanish attempted to convert the locals. Here’s a site with more info if you’re interested.
The next five photos are of the old Acoma pueblo which is situated on the top of a mesa. I’d been wanting to visit the “Sky City” for a number of years so it was quite an experience touring the still-inhabited town. As I was riding into the reservation I stopped to snap some photos of the stunning countryside when two Res cops rolled up. As it turns out, I needed tribal permission to photograph sacred landscape (the entire reservation). Fortunately, I wasn’t fined nor was my phone taken from me. The photos you see are those from the pueblo and only after I’d been given the go-ahead from the elder who showed us around. The city itself was established in the 13th century and first contact by a non-native was made by a Muslim slave from Morocco named Estebanico/Mustafa Zemmouri. The first few years of European contact with the Acoma consisted of trade and political negotiations before Spanish forces entered the city in 1599 and massacred 800 people. Spanish soldiers amputated the right foot of all surviving Acoma men over 25 and enslaved them. Women over 12 were also enslaved. Such was Juan de Oñate’s legacy of brutality in New Mexico. Still, local officials feel it appropriate to erect statues and name schools in his honor...
The mission you see (San Esteban del Rey) was constructed between 1629-1641 by Acoma hands under the direction of the priest, Juan Ramirez. The interior art reflects the confluence of native and Spanish Catholic beliefs - a common attribute of New World churches. The ladder in the final photo points toward heaven and symbolizes the soul’s ascendance to the stars following death.
Finally, the last two photos are of a small and strange little village in northern New Mexico called Madrid. The locals pronounce it with emphasis on the ‘Ma’ [mă] rather than the traditional pronunciation of [Madríd]. The final photo is of the Very Large Array - an astronomical radio observatory of 27 antennas.
