Resistance, Change and Survival

Your Humble Servant

Friday, our last day, was a busy one. I did my fishy chores and then we headed out on a shopping spree. I saw a rug I wanted to buy and picked that up and then picked up a small bedside table and a seating bench. These will go well with what I have.

Replicated walls

Today's adventure started with a trip to see the Coronado State Monument just a few miles north of my house. This was a pueblo village that Coronado took over while he stayed in the area back in 1541-42. He showed up with all of his men plus 4,000 Indian allies and slaves plus livestock and pack animals.  The local residents were sent packing when he showed up and started making various demands. The Indians tolerated him for a while and then tried to drive him out. It was a bloodbath and he stayed on for a while before moving east.

Ruins

This site is the Kuaua Pueblo and it is mostly in ruins except for a few reconstructed walls and some restored kivas. The pueblo is unique because of the murals that were painted on the walls of the large kiva. These murals were preserved and are n display in the small museum.

Eagle Dancer

Or next stop was the Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. In spite of Coronado and everything that has happened since, the pueblo people have survived and seem to be doing pretty well -- at least compared to the history of the past three hundred years. The cultural center is a "must see" for anyone visiting the area who has an interest in tribal culture. We got there in time to see the local dancers from the Zia Pueblo do an impressive show in the courtyard. This is a family group made up of three generations of one family. They sang several Indian songs and did about five dunces. They ended with a friendship dance which included some of the spectators.

The exhibits are all very interesting. The Zunis have a tradition of painting map images...pictures that are also maps. There was also an exhibit on the various patron saints of the different pueblos and the old churches that were built in the pueblo villages. We were starting to get information overload after a while. We probably should take a whole day to go through the museum exhibits and see the dancers.

Friendship Dance

We stopped off at St. Clair Winery for some wine tasting. They have such a convoluted system of tasting that it was too silly...and costly...to taste their wines. We ended up getting two glasses of wine and an appetizer...and then they let us taste a few wines at no charge....go figure.  Must be trying to discourage serial wine tasters looking for a cheap buzz..

We drove up Central Avenue, which is old Route 66, and looked at some of the vintage motels left over from the 1940s.  Route 66 took so many different paths through this area that you keep running into "Historic Route 66" signs.

We stopped off at Il Vecino for supper and a chance to sit outside and have a couple beers. They have a picnic table seating area outside that is pretty nice. This is another good people-watching place.

We headed back home in time to get rained on for about 5 minutes.  There is a lot of lightening in the area but not much rain.

Tomorrow we head for home.