12/22/2025
The Pueblos of New Mexico: Living & Ancestral
At the time of the Spanish arrival in 1540, there were nearly 100 inhabited Pueblos. By the time of the Pueblo Revolt (1680), that number had dropped to about 46. Today, due to the consolidation of populations, disease, and warfare, there are 19 sovereign Pueblos in New Mexico.
Many of the "lost" villages listed below were not simply abandoned; their people migrated to join relatives in the surviving Pueblos, ensuring their lineages and traditions continued.
I. The 19 Sovereign Pueblos of New Mexico
(Grouped by Language Family)
Tewa Speakers (Northern Rio Grande)
* Ohkay Owingeh (formerly San Juan): North of Española.
* Santa Clara (Kha'p'o Owingeh): Española.
* San Ildefonso (Powhoge Owingeh): South of Española (near Los Alamos).
* Pojoaque (P'osuwaege Owingeh): North of Santa Fe.
* Nambé (Nambé O-Ween-Gé): East of Pojoaque.
* Tesuque (Tet-Sugeh): North of Santa Fe.
Tiwa Speakers
* Taos (Tuah-Tah): North of Taos.
* Picuris (Pe’ewi): Peñasco (Southern Taos County).
* Sandia (Tuf Shur Tia): Bernalillo / North Albuquerque.
* Isleta (Tue-I): South Albuquerque / Bosque Farms.
* Note: Ysleta del Sur (Tigua) is located in El Paso, Texas. It was established after the 1680 Revolt by refugees from Isleta and the Piro villages. While located in Texas, it is culturally a Pueblo.
Towa Speakers
* Jemez (Walatowa): Jemez Springs area (Red Rocks).
Keres Speakers
* Cochiti (Ko-Tyit): South of Santa Fe (Cochiti Lake).
* Santo Domingo (Kewa): South of Santa Fe (near I-25).
* San Felipe (Katishtya): North of Bernalillo.
* Santa Ana (Tamaya): Bernalillo (Old village is NW of town).
* Zia (Tsi-ya): Northwest of Bernalillo (off Hwy 550).
* Laguna (Ka'waika): West of Albuquerque (I-40).
* Acoma (Haak'u): West of Albuquerque (Sky City).
Zuni (Isolate Language)
* Zuni (Halona Idiwan’a): South of Gallup (McKinley County).
II. The "Lost" & Ancestral Pueblos
Major named villages inhabited at the time of Spanish contact (1540–1680) that are now ruins or historic sites.
The Salinas & Tompiro Pueblos (Manzano Mountains)
Inhabited by Piro and Tompiro speakers. Abandoned in the 1670s due to severe drought and Apache raids; survivors mostly moved to Isleta or south to El Paso.
* Gran Quivira (Las Humanas): South of Mountainair. The largest of the Salinas pueblos; now part of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.
* Abó: West of Mountainair. A major trading center with the Plains tribes.
* Quarai: North of Mountainair. Famous for its intact red sandstone mission walls.
* Tabira: A smaller outlier village near Gran Quivira.
* Tenabo: West of Abó (currently on private land).
The Galisteo Basin Pueblos (Tano / Southern Tewa)
Most inhabitants abandoned these villages during the Pueblo Revolt (1680–1696) and moved to the Hopi mesas in Arizona, founding the village of Hano.
* San Marcos: Near Lone Butte/Cerrillos. The inhabitants controlled the nearby turquoise mines.
* San Cristóbal: Located deep in the Galisteo Basin.
* San Lázaro: South of the modern town of Galisteo.
* Galisteo (Pueblo de los Tanos): Located beneath the modern village of Galisteo.
* San Lucas: Located near Galisteo.
The Piro Pueblos (Socorro Region)
The Piro people lived furthest south along the Rio Grande. They did not join the Pueblo Revolt and largely moved south to El Paso (founding Ysleta del Sur) with the retreating Spanish.
* Pilabó: Located exactly under the modern city of Socorro (San Miguel Mission stands on the site).
* Senecú: South of Socorro (San Marcial area). Famous for its vineyards before abandonment.
* Teypana: Located opposite modern Socorro.
* Qualacú: Located near the Bosque del Apache.
* San Pascual: Located opposite the Bosque del Apache refuge.
The Jemez Mountain Pueblos
The Jemez people occupied dozens of massive stone pueblos on the mesas before consolidating into the single village of Walatowa.
* Giusewa: Jemez Historic Site (Jemez Springs). Famous for the San José de los Jemez mission ruins.
* Amoxiumqua: Located on the mesa rim above Jemez Springs.
* Unshagi: Located near Jemez Falls.
* Nonyishagi: Located near Unshagi in the Jemez Mountains.
The Pajarito Plateau (Ancestral Tewa)
Cliff dwellings and mesa villages ancestral to Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, and Cochiti.
* Puyé: Santa Clara Canyon. The ancestral home of Santa Clara Pueblo.
* Tyuonyi: Bandelier National Monument (Frijoles Canyon).
* Tsankawi: Near White Rock (part of Bandelier).
* Tsirege: Near White Rock; a large village meaning "Place of the Bird."
Major Historic "Outliers"
* Pecos (Cicuye): Pecos National Historical Park. Once the most powerful pueblo in NM and the "Gateway to the Plains." Abandoned in 1838; the last survivors moved to Jemez Pueblo.
* Kuaua: Coronado Historic Site (Bernalillo). A Tiwa pueblo famous for its painted kiva murals
* Puaray: Near Bernalillo. Historically the "guide" village for Spanish expeditions; often associated with the martyrdom of the friars.
* Tunque: Northeast of Sandia Pueblo (Placitas/Diamond Tail area). A major center for pottery manufacturing (Tunque Ware).
* Hawikuh: Near Zuni. The first Zuni village encountered by Coronado (one of the "Seven Cities of Gold"). Destroyed during the Revolt period.
* Pottery Mound: Rio Puerco (West of Los Lunas). Famous for intricate kiva murals; abandoned just prior to Spanish arrival.
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