On Walkabout At: San Esteban Del Rey Mission, New Mexico

Prior Posting: The Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

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As the group I was with continued to be guided around the Pueblo Indian village of Acoma our local guide next led us to the only church on this remote meas, the Mission San Esteban Rey:

The San Esteban del Rey Mission began construction in 1630, which was a ful 32 years after Juan de Oñate took possession of New Mexico in the name of King Philip II of Spain.  The Acoma people that were enslaved by the Spanish had completed their sentences and had returned to their ancestral mesa to rebuild their pueblo.  In order to exert their authority as well as to convert the Acoma to Catholicism the Spanish decided to build a church on this remote mesa.  The 30-foot beams used to construct the mission were carried 30 miles from Mount Taylor that soars over the Acoma lands in the northern distance.  To build the missions Acomans had to move approximately 20,000 tons of dirt and rocks from the canyon floor up the one narrow and steep path up the mesa.  The amount of work to move that much dirt and rock up the mesa is just incredible when you think about it.   The mission was built under the direction of Friar Juan Ramírez who the Acoma at first were rightfully so deeply suspicious of.  Ramirez was also suspicious of them considering how the living quarters attached to the mission had bars on the windows to prevent angry from sneaking in and killing him:

However, Friar Ramirez would ultimately win over the Acoma people with his kindness and his efforts to improve their every day lives by introducing Spanish technology and farming techniques.  Due to Ramirez’s efforts most of the Acoma Pueblo would convert to Catholicism and our guide said about 96% of the Acoma today are still Catholic even though they still mix their native beliefs with their Catholic beliefs.  As the guide walked us over to the mission she told us that we could not take pictures from the cemetery located in the front of the church.  This made it difficult to get a good frontal picture of the mission so this frontal view was the best I was able to take:

Here is another nice view of the mission via Wikipedia:

Here is a closer look at the mission as dark storm clouds brew overhead:

Here is a closer look at the bell in the bell tower:

This mission is one of the few Spanish churches to survive the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, which can be attributed to the long term effect that Friar Ramirez had on the Acoma people.  When the Spanish reconquered New Mexico in 1692 they took out their vengeance on some of the tribes that revolted, but largely left the Acoma alone.  The guide did tell us that a few years ago the King of Spain actually did issue an apology to the Acoma people, but offered no reparations.  It is an interesting question whether people who are centuries removed from the suffering their ancestors endured deserve reparations?  I also found it interesting learn about the many Native-American slaves taken by the Spanish over the years that few Americans know about.  African slavery is well known, but centuries before African slavery the Native-Americans were already suffering from Spanish slavery.

Anyway here is a nice photograph of the graveyard in front of the mission from the National Geographic website:

The graveyard was not very big, which meant over time it was quickly filled up with graves.  Because of this the Acoma decided to lay more dirt down and bury the deceased on top of each other.  Like all the buildings on top of the mesa the dirt for the graveyard had to also be carried up from the valley below.  The guide said the graveyard currently has three layers of dirt with people buried in it.  Once again the work to haul up all that dirt up that narrow path before the current road was built is just incredible to think about.  Looking out at the gravestones from the front of the church I was able to make out quite a few US military gravestones. The guide then took us inside the church and we were told we could not take pictures inside the mission.  The floor of the mission was the dirt and rock of the mesa top and there was no pews for the faithful to sit on.  The church’s walls were decorated with Catholic as well as Acoma imagery, which showed the blending of faiths our guide had told us about earlier in the tour.

The tour guide told us that the Acoma people have long supplied soldiers to the US military and that many tribe members continue to join the military today as well.  In late 2006 the Acoma Pueblo and its mission was named as a National Trust Historic Site.

After finishing up the tour of the San Esteban Del Rey Mission the tour guide gave us all the option of either taking the bus back down the road to the cultural center or walk down the ancient path that her ancestors have used for centuries to access the mesa.  To my surprise I was the only person in the tour group of about 25 people to decide to walk down the mesa.  The guide took me over to the path down the mesa and just told me to take my time walking down:

At the start of the path I could see the carved steps in the rock that leads into a hole in the rock:

Could you imagine being an invader and trying to attack this mesa through the hole in this rock?  I passed through the hole and found myself in this narrow crevice:

I walked down this crevice being very careful to watch my footing:

Some of the steps put into this crevice are of newer construction:

Other steps are the ones ancestors of today’s Acoma people carved into the rock centuries ago:

After about 10 minutes of walking I was on the valley floor and I took a look back up the crevice I came down:

At the bottom of the crevice I followed the paved road back to the cultural center.  As I walked down the road I enjoyed the various views I had of the sides of the mesa:

I soon came upon this impressive rock outcropping that is supposed to represent a couple kissing:

I next came upon this rock outcropping which was used as a corral for livestock:

I also saw the remains of a few old homes that are now abandoned:

It took me about 20 minutes to walk back to the cultural center and along the way just about every Acoma vehicle driving up the road to the Pueblo made sure to wave to me.  I definitely found the Acoma to be a very friendly people who are rightfully proud of their culture.  Once I got back to the cultural center this ended my tour, but not my great memories of the Acoma people.  Much like with Bandelier National Monument I couldn’t help, but think that American students are all well versed on the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock, but how come they know nothing about the Acoma Pueblo and its people who were on this continent long before the Pilgrims ever landed?  I really feel that the history of the Native-American people like the Acoma are just as much a part of American history as the Pilgrims.  I just hope that more people in the future become knowledgeable and get a chance to experience the vibrant native cultures in the American West like I have had.