Location: The Pueblo Indians reside in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. They have been living in this area for over 500 years. They remained sedentary because they grew crops and used cotton to make clothing.
History: Archaeologists do not agree on how the Pueblo people decided to settle in the southwestern United States or where they originally came from. Archeological ruins are being studied to understand their history which has been traced back 2000 years. The Pueblo maintained a peaceful relationship with the settlers who eventually arrived in their homeland. These new settlers still inhabit the Pueblo territory today.
Language: The Pueblo are a diverse people and speak many different languages. There are three main languages spoken; each containing several subgroups. The main languages include: Uto-Aztecan, Keresan, and Tanoan. Though there are differences in the way the people speak their languages, it does not put a barrier between them. Dialectal differences between Pueblo speakers are common and more of a novelty than a problem.
Daily Life: The Pueblo ate seeds, made clothing out of yucca (a desert plant), and grew beans, corn, and squash. They used spears for hunting instead of bows and arrows. The Pueblo lifestyle kept everyone busy. Small children would scare crows away from the crops or would gather firewood. The old men made arrow points and prayed in preparation for ceremonies. There was not a specific day for rest, but when their work was done, games were played. Travel was not a necessity for the Pueblo, but they would sometimes go to neighboring villages to trade their goods.
Best Known Features: Indian corn was the Pueblo’s specialty. Their diet was almost eighty percent Indian corn. Corn was important to them and they had numerous varieties. Rain was scarce, so underground water supplies were used to grow corn instead. If the underground water supply was exposed, it would dry up and there would be no source of water for the crops. Therefore, corn was planted deep into the ground. When the land was tilled, only the top layer of soil was overturned.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on the Pueblo.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL.
If you are Pueblo, your feedback is much appreciated.
Taos Pueblo: http://www.taospueblo.com/
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center: http://www.indianpueblo.org/
written by: Summer Smith