Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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sketching, or painting are allowed, except by special permission. The pueblo is open daily
in the summer from 8am to 6:30pm; daily in the spring, fall, and winter from 8am to
5pm. One-hour tours begin every 30 minutes, depending on the demand; the last tour
is scheduled 1 hour before closing. The pueblo is closed June 24 and 29; July 10 through
July 13 and July 25; the first or second weekends in October; and the first Saturday in
December. It's best to call ahead to confirm that the tour is available when you're visit-
ing.
SEEING THE HIGHLIGHTS
You absolutely cannot wander freely around Acoma Pueblo, but you can start your tour
there at the 40,000-square-foot museum and peruse their gallery, which offers art and
crafts for sale, and have a meal at the Yaak'a Café.
You'll begin the tour by boarding the tour bus, which climbs through a rock garden of
50-foot sandstone monoliths and past precipitously dangling outhouses to the mesa's
summit. With no running water or electricity in this medieval-looking village, it's a truly
unique place. A small reservoir collects rainwater for most uses, and drinking water is
transported up from below. Wood-hole ladders and mica windows are prevalent among
the 300-odd adobe structures. As you tour the village, you'll have many opportunities to
buy pottery and other pueblo treasures. Pottery is expensive here, but you're not going to
find it any cheaper anywhere else, and you'll be guaranteed that it's authentic if you buy
it directly from the craftsperson. Along the way, be sure to sample some Indian fry bread
topped with honey.
DANCES & CEREMONIES
The annual San Esteban del Rey feast day is September 2, when the pueblo's patron saint
is honored with a morning Mass, a procession, an afternoon corn dance, and an arts-and-
crafts fair. The Governor's Feast is held annually in February; and 4 days of Christmas
festivals run from December 25 to 28. Guided tours do not operate on the mesa during
feast days, and cameras are not permitted then.
Other celebrations are held in nearby low-lying pueblo villages at Easter (in Acomita),
the first weekend in May (Santa Maria feast at McCartys), and August 10 (San Lorenzo
Day in Acomita).
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WHERE TO STAY & DINE
The
Sky City Hotel & Casino,
off I-40, at exit 102 (
&
888/759-2489;
www.skycity.
com), offers good, basic accommodations, with prices ranging from $79 to $129 for a
double. The hotel has a restaurant, snack bar, night club, casino, and RV park.
3
GRANTS
If you've ever wondered what a “boom-and-bust town” looks like, come to Grants and
find out. Grants first boomed with the coming of the railroad in the late 19th century,
when 4,000 workers descended on the tiny farm town. When the railroad was com-
pleted, the workers left, and the town was bust. Next, Grants saw high times in the
1940s, growing carrots and sending them to the East Coast; but when packaging became
more advanced, Grants lost its foothold in the market and busted again. Then came the
1950s, when a Navajo sheep rancher named Paddy Martinez discovered some strange
yellow rocks near Haystack Mountain, northwest of town. The United States was in need
