Sky City is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the country. Acoma people have lived in the Pueblo for almost 2,000 years. It is the spiritual center for all of them and still the physical home for about 600, even though the village has no electricity or running water. Other Acoma live in nearby villages, but return for special cultural occasions to celebrate their ancestral homes.
Sky City is on the National Register of Historical Monuments, but it is owned and operated by the Acoma People. Like all of the Southwest Tribes, the Acoma trace their ancestry to nearby Chaco Canyon , a National Monument that we visited on an earlier trip.
Sky City has over 300 structures made of mud brick (adobe) and white sandstone. The Acomas are a matriarchial society and mothers pass down the homes to their youngest daughter. Here is a closer view of one of the homes.
We had a very good native Acoma tour guide, whose English name was Gary. He gave us a good overview of the history of his people. As always with Native American history, it was not something that is exactly easy to hear, but it is something that all of us should know about. The mesa in the distance is sacred to the Acoma people. It was where they originally lived. Their spoken history tells that once, when most of the people were on the valley floor, a terrible storm occured, washing out the only trail up the mesa. There was no way to rebuild the trail. A Grandmother and her grand-daughter were trapped on top, and rather than face a slow starvation, they jumped to their deaths. Prayer ladders are still used ceremonially, to access the Kivas (religious chambers). The arrow near the top of this one serves to protect three Kivas that are located on this passage way through the village. Because the Acoma still live in this village, it was a great opportunity to experience living history. Acoma women are noted for their pottery and it was sold in the village and displayed in the museum. Food was also for sale (homebaked bread and pies) and that is what we bought, because we don't know much about pottery, but we can always use a few good carbs. Here are a few more pictures from Sky City. We really enjoyed our day; it was an enjoyable way to increase our knowledge and, hopefully, understanding of Southwest history. A For defensive purposes, the Pueblo was built 370 feet above the desert floor, and untill 1959 was only accessed by hand cut trails. This picture was taken near the Museum and Visitor Center at its foot. It is an impressive sight looming above when you are standing on the desert below.
To the right is a picture of one of the ovens the Acoma have used for centuries to bake bread. The gentleman at left is pounding clay to prepare it for the women to use in making pottery.
n Acoma family that has been living and working elsewhere and have now retired are building this new house on the edge of the pueblo, so that they can return to their ancestral home. We were told that a lot of the residents go elsewere during the winter because of the zero to minus 20 degree weather.
My goodness I am getting an education with you! The sky is so awesome - I love the blue.
Posted by: Chatty Crone | December 07, 2009 at 04:40 PM