Whats the best way to explore the Native American Heritage of New Mexico?

Question

I want to go on a road trip to New Mexico, to explore the Native American Heritage (I'm an amateur anthropologist of sorts). I want to see the living tribes in action, and stop off at a lot of the ruins and archaeological sites. What is the best way to go about doing that?

I live in Texas, and plan on taking my car, and pitching a tent at a camp site whenever possible.

Answer 1

There is really nothing special that you have do to visit the reservations and tribal areas of New Mexio other than do a little research and be aware of the rules and restrictions associated with each one (and each is a little bit different).  Some are very open to tourists while others are very private and discourage visitors.  Nearly all have rules or restrictions around the use of cameras and when you can visit.  Every major tribal community has its own government and usually a website with information (I have included some of the more visitor friendly ones below).

When visiting a reservation or tribal community, always keep in mind that these are peoples homes and treat the place and the people with the respect that you would want for your own home and neighborhood.

Although there are reservations and Native American historic sites thorughout the state, probably the most interesting areas are the north central region (around Albuqurque and Santa Fe) and the northwest (which includes both Navajo and pueblo sites).  Here are my top picks for the most interesting (and publically accessible) sites in northern New Mexico associated with modern and prehistoric Native American cultures:

Living Communities:

Taos - This is a famous pueblo north of Santa Fe that deliberately maintains a traditional appearance and life-style (sort of a living museum) and is a major tourist attraction.  It was also popular with artists in the early 1900s.

Acoma - The famous 'sky city' pueblo built on a mesa top and until the 1950s, could only be reached by climbing a narrow foot-trail.  They have daily tours to the top where a local tribal member guides you through the thousand year old streets and ancient Spanish mission (you can hike down the old foot trail afterwards if you want).  They have recently opened a very nice visitor center at the bottom.  This is an excellent place to visit if you like southwest history and cultures.  South of I-40 near Grants.

Zuni - A pueblo south of Gallup that was one of the legendary cities of Cibola (cities of gold) that the Spanish searched for.  Today the Zuni are famous for their artwork.

Navajo Reservation - Unlike the pueblos, the Navajo (who are relatives of the Apache) were nomadic and centered around family-units rather than large communities - even today, most Navajo on the reservation live in very small communities or lone houses, so there are not really large towns to visit.  Both Gallup and Farmington are on the edge of the reservation and have many Navajo (and pueblo) inhabitants as well as trading posts, etc., though neither are traditional or historic tribal communities.  None-the-less, the Navajo reservation has some starkly beautiful landscapes and makes for interesting driving (if you go to Chaco, much of the drive will be across reservation land - look out for livestock).

Along I-40 and I-25, you will pass near a number of other active pueblos including Laguna, Isleta and Santo Domingo, but these generally don't encourage visitors to wander around the community except during certain festivals (and they strictly prohibit pictures), although most will have a small trading post or visitor center on the edge (or a large modern casino near the highway).

Prehistoric Sites:

Pecos Pueblo National Historic Park - This was a major pueblo and trading center on the old Santa Fe trail until abandoned in the 1800s.  In the 1920s, archaeologist Alfred Kidder conducted an important multi-year excavation at Pecos which helped identify the chronology of ruins throughout the entire southwest.  Nice visitors center and trails through the ruin (south of Santa Fe along I-25 toward Las Vegas, NM).  Incidentally, Bobcat Bite - which has a national recognized green chili cheeseburger - is located about midway between Pecos and Santa Fe).

Bandelier National Monument - Pueblo ruins and cliff-dwellings in an incredibly beautiful canyon.  This is a neat place, even without the ruins.  North of Santa Fe (near Los Alamos).

Chaco Canyon National Historic Park - Probably the single most impressive prehistoric ruin in the entire United States.  The larger pueblos cover the size of several football fields and were once 4-5 stories tall.  This is an incredible place and one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world.  Located north of Gallup - requires some travel on gravel roads and there is no gas station, store or cafe there (just a small visitors center and campground).

You can camp at Chaco and Bandolier.  Camping is not allowed on most of the reservation land.

Also note that Santa Fe has a number of excellent museums, several ofwhich have sigjnificant Native American exhibits or themes.