Native New Mexico

New Mexico is a land of contrasts and diversity. The physical landscape includes extensive mesas, rugged mountains and low-lying deserts. The native people who live here are as diverse as the landscape.

The Pueblo people, named by Spanish explorers for their settled, village lifestyle, are master farmers. The Pueblos share this land with the Athapaskan-speaking Indé (Apache) and Diné (Navajo).

The Pueblo cultures, including all of the pueblos along the Rio Grande, Picurís in the hidden valley and the western pueblos including Laguna, Acoma and Zuni, developed in the Southwest over 10,000 years. According to academic accounts, the Athapaskans, both the Indé and the Diné, who are relative newcomers, probably entered the Southwest in the early 16th century as bison-hunting nomads.

The Mescalero Apache live in south central New Mexico with Sierra Blanca (White Mountain) as their most sacred mountain. It was a landmark for the first Spanish explorers more than 400 years ago. They were named “Mescalero” (meaning the people who eat mescal) by the Spanish.

The Jicarilla Apache (meaning little basketmakers) live in the northern part of the state and are widely known for their baskets. Their 879,854-acre reservation on the continental divide includes mountain wilderness, lakes, a bounty of wildlife in the northern part of the reservation and desert mesas and canyons on the southern part.

The Navajo or Diné (meaning “The People” in their own language) live in what they call Diné Bikeyah or Navajoland. Their reservation is vast and encompasses an area larger than some states. Its boundaries extend from northwestern New Mexico into northwestern Arizona and southeastern Utah. Three smaller bands are located away from the main reservation boundaries at Alamo, To’Hajiilee and Ramah not far from Albuquerque. It is the largest Indian tribe in the U.S., with just less than half its members living in New Mexico.

Most traditional Native Americans of the Southwest hold that people, plants, animals and spirits are all interconnected in a seemingly unbroken circle of being. Traditions here continue as they have for hundreds of years.

Pueblo and Native farmers in New Mexico have been able to grow annual crops with little or minimal rainfall for centuries. Their dependence upon raising corn, beans, squash and chiles in arid conditions has led to a communal way of life and a pervasive religion linked to agriculture. Many daily activities, even today in some villages, focus on group ceremonies and rituals for rain and fertility. Deities come during cycles of planting, growth and harvest. These cycles of life are the focus of many of the dances and feasts.

Today, a Native American garden may include plants that were introduced from Mexico and Europe by the Spanish who came to New Mexico in the 1500s. Items such as chiles, tomatoes, cabbages, onions, apricots, peaches, apples and watermelons grow alongside traditional foods of the ancient ones.

Native New Mexicans revere all foods and some are honored in the winter animal dances of many Pueblo tribes. In these ceremonies, the costumed dancers wear antlers, animal skins and circles of evergreen branches around their necks, re-creating the animals in their forest environments.

All pueblos and tribes have annual feast days and/or celebrations that are open to the public. You should try to attend at least one event during your visit to watch the spectacular dancers, taste some of the many foods and buy some beautiful craftwork.

The Diné (Navajo) create exquisite and multi-faceted artwork. They are master silversmiths and, since its introduction by the Spanish, have become renowned for their strong, simple, distinctive designs. They have become master weavers as well. According to legend, the art of weaving was taught to the women by Spider Woman, who constructed a loom according to the directions given to the Navajo by the Holy People. Sheep are central to Diné life and many families still raise herds for their wool and meat. Since the Spanish introduced sheep to the Navajo almost 500 years ago, they have become an integral part of Navajo identity.

The Jicarilla Apache have much to offer visitors. Their lands have a bounty of natural resources and contain some of the last unspoiled areas for big game hunting and fishing. They also give custom guided tours to the archaeological sites on their lands, which provide a look into the rich history of the area. Their feast day is held September 15 and features races among the clans.

The Mescalero Apaches hold a Coming of Age Ceremony in early July. A young girl’s passage into womanhood is extremely important to the Mescalero and it’s a beautiful ceremony to witness. Visitors are permitted to watch the principal parts of the puberty rites. There are dances and a rodeo on each of the four days of the ceremony.

The various tribal groups of New Mexico — Pueblos, Apache and Navajo — continue the traditions that have endured for centuries and you are welcome to share in the ceremonies that celebrate the special expression of their cultures.

For a calendar of Feast Days and Special Events,

 See "Native New Mexico Events." »