All across the Southwest are the reservations of the Native American peoples known as the Pueblo. The Spanish first encountered these people in the 1600's as they moved toward California. The multistory adobe homes, joined together around a central plaza, led the Spanish to call them pueblo, towns, after the Spanish farming villages, and the name took. Soon the Indians who lived in such places came to be called Pueblo.
The history of the Pueblo is a long one, stretching back over a thousand years. Deep in the heart of canyons such Chaco Canyon or atop high mesas, such as Mesa Verde, there stand the sites of the ancient Pueblo. Many of the Pueblo groups were involved in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, where the Spanish greatly decimated their numbers.
The Pueblo peoples of today often maintain homes outside the historic villages of their ancestors and continue to keep their native languages, customs, and identity alive. There are several local festivals and trading posts where visitors can come and see the Pueblo traditions of pottery and jewelry making, as well as weaving and various other traditional forms of art. Maintaining cultural traditions while also encouraging innovation can be seen in the artistic and expression of contemporary Pueblo artisans and crafts people.
