Santa Clara Pueblo was first visited in 1541 by part of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's expeditionary force. A mission was established in 1628 as a visita (satellite community) for San Juan Pueblo. In 1680 the inhabitants of Santa Clara took an active part in the Great Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish. The historic section of the pueblo complex consists of one- and two-story adobe houses surrounding two main plazas with two rectangular ceremonial kivas and a church, c. 1918. Santa Clara is a "living" pueblo and is home to a community of highly skilled artisans famous for their black polished and red polychrome pottery.

Santa Clara Pueblo is two miles south of Española, New Mexico, on NM 30. Cameras are allowed only with a permit. The pueblo can be visited daily from dawn to dusk. Please call 505-753-7326 for further information.

Credits and Sources:

National Park Service. "Discover Our Shared Heritage American Southwest, A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary: List of Sites." http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/amsw/sitelist.htm.

Courtesy of Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library; from Library of Congress's American Memory collection