Our third visited pueblo was one that surprised us. Known in artistic circles for their intricately decorated clay pottery, the Acoma people have one village perched on a 365-foot mesa high above the surrounding valley. Guided tours are the only way to visit the village, more commonly known as Sky City. Photography permits for a fee are also available.
Though the Acoma share a common ancestry with the Zuni and Hopi, including similar gods and spirits and a matrilineal society, they seem to have adopted material culture much more readily. The Sky City Cultural Center is second to none, a modern facility that houses a gift shop, cafe and museum, with massive wooden front doors that suggest a Spanish influence. In fact, the Spanish seem to have converted the Acoma to Catholicism, which the Zuni and Hopi have long since largely rejected, even though the Acoma took part in the 17th-century Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish with the other surrounding tribes. The Acomas have Spanish surnames and the church in the pueblo (San Esteban del Rey Mission, on the National Register of Historic Places) still conducts mass and church services.
The homes atop the mesa, the original architecture still evident, seem to have been partially renovated using more modern materials, including double-pane glass windows and modern doors. Even though the pueblo still is not electrified nor does it have running water or sewage system, large propane tanks and modern-day honey buckets are in use.
The Acoma have also recently opened a large casino, something that the Hopi or Zuni have not or probably never will do.
The pottery is much sought-after by collectors. Pots exhibit complex geometric patterns on thin clay walls with fluted rims and often decorated with a characteristic black paint made from pulverized hematite rock. The coveted, hand-coiled pottery is very expensive, but more affordable ones made from pour-molded stock have the same meticulous hand-painted patterns.
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