Acoma Pueblo, Historic Native American settlement in Cibola County, New Mexico.
Acoma Pueblo is a Native American settlement in Cibola County, New Mexico, where houses made of sun-dried mud bricks stand on a sandstone plateau. The walls are built from multiple layers, and many buildings have small windows and flat roofs of timber beams and earth.
The settlement began in the early centuries of the Christian era, when ancestors of today's residents chose the rock as a refuge. In the 16th century, Spanish explorers encountered the settlement, and decades later a rebellion against the occupiers brought heavy losses.
Residents call their settlement Haaku, which means the place on the mesa in their language. Today only a few families live permanently on the plateau, while others return to make pottery or attend ceremonies.
Guided visits begin at the visitor center below the plateau, and the ascent follows stairs and paths that wind along the rock face. On certain days photography is restricted in parts of the settlement, and visitors should follow guidance from their tour leader.
In the San Esteban del Rey church at the western edge of the plateau, heavy ceiling beams of pine were carried by men over 30 miles (48 kilometers). The floor of the interior is several steps lower than the surrounding ground, because earth was hauled up from the valley.
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