Acoma Sky City

Acoma Sky City is about 60 miles west of Albuquerque on I-40.  Visitors can only enter the pueblo, which is on a mesa 365 feet above the desert, on guided tours.  We planned to take the 10:30 tour and then have lunch at the Cultural Center.  We arrived in time to purchase our tickets and camera permits and get on the shuttle bus.  There were many signs reminding us that it would be hot and dry and that it would be a 90 minute walking tour over rough terrain.  We wore hats and comfortable shoes and brought water bottles.  I left the photography to Stephen so I wouldn't have to carry a camera as well.  Originally, the only way to get to the pueblo was by climbing up steep, uneven stairs cut into the rock wall of the mesa.  But in the 1950's a Hollywood movie crew filming a John Wayne movie, with the permission of the tribal elders, built a road to bring their people and equipment to the mesa.

A distant view of the mesa.

Our guide.

 Our guide told us that there is no electricity, running water, or sewer in the pueblo.  Only about 30 people live there full-time, but many families spend some time there, either on weekends or during the tribe's celebrations.  There are some generators and a few propane tanks.  There are lots of outhouses, but they are trying to get everyone to use the new solar composting outhouses and to get rid of their old outhouses.  During the day, potters and artisans come up to sell their crafts to tourists.

 

 Our guide was very interesting and kept the tour moving along.  She had lots of historical information, but also threw in some personal stories, explained how the pueblo is governed, and told some cute jokes.  There are only men on the council, but the women own the land and property, and the youngest daughter inherits.  In this way, our guide said, the women allow the men to think that they are in charge.

New and old outhouses.

 As you might imagine, the history of the pueblo includes some very sad and horrible stories.  At one point, most of the original buildings were destroyed, which is why many of the existing ones are made of adobe rather than stone. 

Window made of mica.

 The arrows at the top of the ladder to the kiva have symbolic meaning.  The small opening at the bottom of the wall was made so that a lookout could let the men in the kiva know if the priest or soldiers were coming in the days when practicing the native religion was outlawed by the Spanish.

 The interior of the church and the cemetery next to the church are off-limits for photography.  The wall surrounding the cemetery has an interesting feature of head-sized clay mounds every few feet.  They were fashioned so that enemies looking up from the desert would think there were many sentries on duty guarding the pueblo walls.

 At the end of the tour our guide gave everyone the option of taking the shuttle bus down to the cultural center or hiking down via the stone steps.  Of course, I voted for the steps!  Stephen went with me, along with three other people from the 40 or so on the tour.  The guide warned us that there were places we'd have to turn backward and use the handholds cut into the rock. 

 During the climb, I kept hearing the voices of children playing.  I could not figure out where the voices were coming from.  When we got to the bottom of the steps, it seemed like the sound might be coming from this huge rock formation.

Stephen kept the camera pointed toward the rocks and pretty soon my hunch was confirmed.

 

The rocks below are called "the camel."  It was a short walk by road to the cultural center once we got down the stairs.  Mom and Dad M were waiting and we went to lunch at the cafe where I had an absolutely delicious acorn squash stuffed with rice, pinions, and green chile.   We had a wonderful day and would recommend the tour to anyone visiting the Albuquerque area.