laguna, acoma, el morro, and zuni

laguna pueblo, closest to albuquerque on the west, wasn't established until the early 18th c

acoma was wonderful!!! if you are ever within 200 miles of the place you should go --- the first view of the mesa as you crest a hill was sublime

no photos of the interior of the mission san esteban rey (c. 1641), with its packed earthen floor, 17th c. paintings of the stations of the cross provided by the king of spain, and a wonderful mix of indian and christian decoration --- no photos of the cemetery in front of the church either, created by the indians under spanish duress who carried baskets of dirt up from the valley floor to make a cemetery

the loggia for the convent attached to the church ---

three natural depressions in the rock act as cisterns --- only thirteen families still live on the mesa top, where there is no electricity or running water

did not get up to see el morro national monument except from a distance --- damn the republicans and their government shutdown, which closed the monument --- there are over four centuries of inscriptions on the rock as well as pueblo ruins at the top --- 

zuni pueblo was depressingly impoverished --- the mission church fell into ruin but was restored in 1920s --- now deconsecrated as a catholic church, but the zuni continue to maintain it

24 life-size paintings of traditional zuni kachinas around the nave walls -- photography isn't allowed but the image here shows the artist, alex seowtewa, at work sometime last century