Hawikuh (also spelled ''Hawikku'', meaning "gum leaves" in ZuniLanmon, Dwight P. and Harlow, Francis, "A brief history of the Ashiwi (Zuni) pueblos", in ''The Pottery of Zuni Pueblo'', 2008, Museum of New Mexico Press. ), was one of the largest of the Zuni pueblos at the time of the Spanish ''entrada''. It was founded around 1400 AD. It was the first pueblo to be visited and conquered by Spanish explorers. The pueblo site is located southwest of

Zuni Pueblo Zuni Pueblo (also Zuñi Pueblo, Zuni: ''Halona Idiwan’a'' meaning ‘Middle Place’) is a census-designated place (CDP) in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 6,302 as of the 2010 Census. It is inhabited largely ...

, on what is now the Zuni Indian Reservation in Cibola County, New Mexico. In 1960 the site was designated as a National Historic Landmark known as the Hawikuh Ruins. It is included as a contributing part of the Zuni-Cibola Complex of archaeological sites, a larger National Historic Landmark District designated by the United States Department of Interior in 1974.

History

In 1539, Estevanico was the first non-native to visit Hawikuh. Rumors and legends revolving around the disappearance of Estevanico in the region eventually led to the Tiguex War. The war occurred during a later expedition by

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...

, as he searched for the legendary " Seven Cities of Gold". He wrote about the pueblo:

Although they are not decorated with turquoises, nor made of lime or good bricks, nevertheless they are very good houses, with three, four, and five stories, where there are very good apartments ... and some very good rooms underground Kivas, paved, which are made for winter and have something like hot baths.

Some Hawikuu residents fled to the '' Dowa Yalanne'' mesa top to escape the attackers of the Coronado expedition. The 14 structures at ''Dowa Yalanne,'' which were used as a refuge from the Spaniards between 1540-1680, were called ''Heshoda Ayahltona'' ("ancient buildings above").Flint, Richard and Shirley Cushing Flin
"Dowa Yalanne, or Corn Mountain."
''New Mexico Office of the State Historian.'' 21 April 2012. In 1628 the Spanish established Mission La Purísima Concepción de Hawikuh at this pueblo. The Spanish attempted to suppress the Zuni religion, and introduced the ''

encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. The labourers, in theory, were provided with benefits by the conquerors for whom they laboured, including military ...

'' forced-labor system. In 1632, the Hawikuh Zuni rebelled, burned the church, and killed the priest. In 1672,

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

raiders burned the church. In 1680 it was burned again during the

Great Pueblo Revolt The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, also known as Popé's Rebellion or Popay's Rebellion, was an uprising of most of the indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish empire, Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, larger than prese ...

, when all the Nuevo México pueblos rose against the Spanish. After this revolt, the Zuni permanently abandoned Hawikuh. Hawikuh is located within what are now the boundaries of the Zuni Indian Reservation near Zuni, New Mexico. The ruins of Hawikuh were excavated during the period 1917-23 by the

Heye Foundation George Gustav Heye (1874 – January 20, 1957) was an American collector of Native American artifacts in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in North America. He founded the Museum of the American Indian, and his collection became the core of ...

under the leadership of Frederick Webb Hodge, who was assistant director of the Museum of the American Indian. The records and artifacts from this excavation are now held by the National Museum of the American Indian. It acquired Heye's museum collection in 1989.Hawikuh
at National Park Service Hawikuh was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961 by the Department of Interior. and

References

External links

Hawikuh Historic Site
by the National Park Service
Hawikuh by the Center for Desert Archeology

{{National Register of Historic Places Protected areas of Cibola County, New Mexico National Historic Landmarks in New Mexico Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Ruins in the United States Populated places established in the 13th century Former populated places in New Mexico History of Cibola County, New Mexico Puebloan buildings and structures National Register of Historic Places in Cibola County, New Mexico Populated places on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Historic district contributing properties in New Mexico

History

See also

References

External links