Visiting the Middle Village: A Trip to Zuni Pueblo

Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico is less than an hour’s drive from Gallup. Heading south on State Route 602, I turned west onto State Route 53 and arrived in late morning.  Route 53 cuts through the center of Zuni Pueblo and as the main road of the community, it’s where you’ll find many businesses, shops, and the tribal headquarters.
 
My first stop was the Zuni Visitor Center.  There are several exhibits inside that explain Zuni history, as well as a gift shop.  It’s also where you can book a tour to learn more about Zuni culture and history and get a map of the pueblo.

Sign welcoming visitors to Zuni Pueblo

On the day of my visit, though, tours were cancelled and the museum was closed due to a cultural celebration scheduled for later that day.  However, the very helpful staffer offered to call someone to see if he was available to take me and the other visitors on a tour.
 
We lucked out!  Kenny Bowekaty, a Zuni archaeologist, arrived shortly and recounted the Zuni creation story for us.  He also explained how the Zuni people, who call themselves A:shiwi, came to live there, which is known as the Middle Village.  He also described their interactions with the Spanish, whom they first encountered in the 16th century.

Kenny Bowekaty, our wonderful tour guide

Then Kenny drove us on a short tour around part of the town.  We stopped first at Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.  The mission church, built by Franciscans in the early 17th century, is currently closed to tourists but the Visitor Center has an exhibit about it and Kenny also told us about its place in Zuni history.

The Spanish mission church

As we drove through the town, we passed many beehive-looking structures.  Kenny confirmed my guess that they were ovens for baking bread and other food.  Because we were with him, Kenny said it was okay to take photos; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been allowed.

Ovens, which always seemed to be in pairs

As a former teacher, I wondered if children learned the Zuni language in school.  Kenny told us that it was indeed part of the curriculum and that, in fact, students had to present a project in the Zuni language in order to graduate from high school.  Given the sad history of how the U.S. tried to eradicate Indigenous languages and cultures, it was great to hear that.
 
Another place that Kenny pointed out was a mesa known as Corn Mountain in English.  It’s clearly visible from the main street.  According to legend, the mesa provided refuge to the Zuni people during a flood and later, during historical times, when Spanish conquistadors arrived in the area.

Corn Mountain

After the tour, I got lunch at a Sinclair gas station.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo but it was an Indian bean taco and it was delicious.  Reasonably priced, it was huge and provided me with several more meals.
 
One interesting thing about the gas stations in New Mexico – they offer gas at 86 and 88 octane levels but not 87, which is standard in Arizona.  I found out later that the lower octane level is better at higher elevations in New Mexico.
 
Kenny told us that a majority of people in Zuni earn incomes as artisans.  There were several shops selling jewelry, fetishes, and other handicrafts up and down the main street of the town.  In one of them, I bought a pair of turquoise and shell earrings in a traditional Zuni design.

One of the many shops

I wanted to get to my hotel in Farmington, New Mexico, before dark so I left Zuni Pueblo in mid-afternoon for the 2 ½ hour drive north.  I greatly enjoyed learning about Zuni during my brief time there.

Elah'kwa (thank you) for a wonderful visit!