Back to: Pueblo
Pueblo Indian Watercolors:
Language, Region, and Lifestyle
Pueblo Indians live in western and central New Mexico, eastern Arizona, and western Texas. Contemporary Pueblo Indian villages are categorized by the six languages spoken by Pueblo peoples: Hopi, Zuni, Keresan, Tiwa, Towa, and Tewa. Each of the six cultural groups has distinct features and traditions. Common to all of the Pueblos is that historically they were sedentary farmers who lived closely together in permanent towns. Hopi-speaking Pueblo Indians, a very distinct culture group, live in northeastern Arizona.
Pueblo Indians have resided in this region for more than five hundred years. The ancestors of present-day Pueblos were the Anasazi who moved from the Mesa Verde region in the north to the Rio Grande valley. Pueblos have traditionally made their living by farming, hunting, and trading. They developed and adapted farming and irrigation methods in the dry desert region to support crops of corn, beans, and squash, and cotton for fabric.
At the time of the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the mid-sixteenth century a strong Pueblo culture existed. Pueblo life and culture changed dramatically after the arrival of Spanish and American settlers, but their society has adapted to many of these influences while retaining the core elements of their culture. Spanish settlers brought with them new crops and livestock such as sheep, goats, cattle, and horses. Spanish priests established missions throughout the Southwest and into California hoping to replace the native religions with Christianity. The intermingling of these religions can be seen today in dances and ceremonies, architecture, and the visual arts.
Pictured above: Justino Herrera, That Is No Longer Our Smoke Sign,