Today we visited the Acoma Sky City. It is the oldest continuosly inhabited community in North America.
Sky city has been occupied by the Acomans since 1100 AD. The 367 foot high mesa is topped with one of the largest adobe structures in North America.
A street view. You can see the straw in some of the adobe walls.
The view from the top looking west. Another street view. Some 15 families live up here full time with out electricity or running water while observing customs and traditions of their ancestors. Others come up for ceremonies. They live in towns below and these are sort of like their ‘vacation’ homes.
Our guide Jai in front of one of the buildings. You are not allowed up here without a guide and you need a permit to take photos. Out of respect for their religious leaders who reside on the mesa year round they ask that no revealing clothing be worn. (short shorts, short skirts, halter tops, tube tops, spaghetti strap tanks, etc). They have clothing you can borrow if they feel your clothing is inappropiate. The other photo is Rosalind, I bought some of her jewelry. Many of the artists have their work for sale in front of their houses. I also bought a small ornament from another artist.
The houses are passed down in families to the youngest daughter, she will live the longest and take care of the home and the family. They only own what is inside the house, the outside walls, roof and grounds belong to the tribe. They have restored most of them to more modern standards.
Some of the three story homes. In the summer they cook upstairs to keep the rest of the house cool, in the winter they cook downstairs to warm the house up. They have either wood burning or propane stoves since there is no electricity. The view north from the mesa. In the old days they threw stuff off the mesa. Including foreigners who displeased them. Now days they have to haul their water up and their gray water and trash down.
This is one of 5 cisterns on the mesa that collects rain and snow water. Now days they haul water instead of using these. More of the pottery. The Acomans are known for their thin walled pottery. The painting is very intricate and beautiful. The prices up here were better than down below and the artist get all the money.
The kiva is square-disguised as a normal building. After the Spanish came they outlawed the old religion. Some one keeps watch out the hole under the ladder and if they see a priest coming they warn the people in the kiva so they can stop the religious ceremony and just act social. The new San Esteban del Rey Mission was started in 1629 and finished in 1640. It was built basicaly with forced slave labor by the indians. The Spanish destroyed the village with canon fire in the early 1600’s after the Acomans threw a man off the mesa who was told in two language that he could not go up, but he did anyway. Then they sent up a friar to convert them and help them rebuild the city.
John going down the traditional stairway to the bottom. See the hand holds above the steps. There are a couple other routes that are just hand and foot holds carved onto the side of the mesa. It made it pretty easy to defend their city. There is now a road that was built by Hollywood so they could film some movies on the mesa. The tour takes you up in a bus, but you can walk down if you want.
Some of the village down below the mesa. There are old stick corrals around the rocks and sandstone buildings.
Corrals. This is a fabulous tour I highly recommend. I am really glad we got a chance to see this.
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