Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
190
Pojoaque Pueblo's New Resort
Owned by Pojoaque Pueblo, the new
Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder
Resort
(
&
800/HILTONS
[445-8667]; www.hiltonworldresorts.com/
resorts/SantaFe/index.html) opened in 2008. The structure itself is gigantic,
though designers have managed to impart an intimate feel through the use of
art—pottery, basketry, sculpture, and paintings—from many of New Mexico's
pueblos. The resort features a number of restaurants and lounges, including an
elaborate buffet, and a contemporary nightclub. In addition, the resort offers
duffers 36 holes at the Towa Golf Course, gamblers 1,200 slots, and spa-fans
16,000 square feet of relaxation. With some 66,000 square feet of meeting
space, the resort views itself as a convention center, but the services still attend
to travelers. Room prices range from $149 to $299 double, $249 to $399 suite.
The four pueblos described in this section can easily be visited in a single day's round-
trip from Santa Fe, though I suggest visiting just the two that really give a feel of the
ancient lifestyle:
San Ildefonso,
with its broad plaza, and
Ohkay Owinge,
with its set-
ting along the Rio Grande. In an easy day trip from Santa Fe you can take in both, with
some delicious New Mexican food in Española en route. If you're in the area at a time
when you can catch certain rituals, that's when you should see some of the other pueb-
los.
7
TESUQUE PUEBLO
Tesuque (te-
soo
-keh) Pueblo is about 9 miles north of Santa Fe on US 84/285. You'll
know that you're approaching the pueblo when you see a large store near the highway. If
you're driving north and you get to the unusual Camel Rock and a large roadside casino,
you've missed the pueblo entrance.
The 800 pueblo dwellers at Tesuque are faithful to their traditional religion, rituals,
and ceremonies. Excavations confirm that a pueblo has existed here at least since the year
a.d. 1200; accordingly, this pueblo is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
When you come to the welcome sign at the pueblo, turn right, go a block, and park on
the right. You'll see the plaza off to the left. There's not a lot to see; in recent years reno-
vation has brought a new look to some of the homes around it. There's a big open area
where dances are held and the
San Diego Church,
completed in 2004 on the site of an
1888 structure that burned down recently. It's the fifth church on the pueblo's plaza since
1641. Visitors are asked to remain in this area.
Some Tesuque women are skilled potters; Ignacia Duran's black-and-white and red
micaceous pottery and Teresa Tapia's miniatures and pots with animal figures are espe-
cially noteworthy. You'll find many crafts at a gallery on the plaza's southeast corner. The
San Diego Feast Day,
which may feature harvest, buffalo, deer, flag, or Comanche
dances, is November 12.
The Tesuque Pueblo's address is Route 5, Box 360-T, Santa Fe, NM 87501 (
&
505/
983-2667
). Admission to the pueblo is free; however, there is a $20 charge for use of still
cameras; special permission is required for filming, sketching, and painting. The pueblo
