Jemez Pueblo (/ˈhɛmɛz/; , ) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Sandoval County,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, United States. The population was 1,963 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The CDP is named after the

pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...

at its center. Among Pueblo members, it is known as . It was likely the location of the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Mission San Diego de la Congregacion.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

It seems that a significant part of the Jemez Pueblo population originates from the surviving remnant of the Pecos Pueblo population who fled to Jemez Pueblo in 1838. The Jemez speak a Kiowa–Tanoan language also known as '' Jemez'' or ''Towa.'' As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,953 people, 467 households, and 415 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 499 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 0.41%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 99.13% Native American, 0.31% from other races, and 0.15% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.95% of the population. There were 467 households, out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 35.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.1% were non-families. 9.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.18 and the average family size was 4.45. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 35.0% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $28,889, and the median income for a family was $30,880. Males had a median income of $20,964 versus $17,262 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $8,045. About 27.2% of families and 25.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 27.1% of those under age 18 and 34.6% of those age 65 or over.

Ethnobotany

They consider

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of over 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family (biology), family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of ge ...

sacred and use it in the kiva.

Jemez runners

As much as 70% of the 1,890 Jemez people were living on their reservation lands in the early 1970s. Though by then an increasing number were switching to wage-earning work rather than agriculture, the residents continued to raise chile peppers, corn, and wheat, to speak their native language, and to maintain customary practices. Running, an old Jemez pastime and ceremonial activity, grew even more popular than it had been before World War II. Prior to the advent of television at Jemez, tales of running feats had been a major form of entertainment on winter nights. Races continued to hold their ceremonial place as the years passed, their purpose being to assist the movement of the sun and moon or to hasten the growth of crops, for example. At the same time, they became a popular secular sport. The year 1959 saw the first annual Jemez All-Indian Track and Field Meet, won by runners from Jemez seven times in the first ten years. A Jemez runner, Steve Gachupin, won the Pikes Peak Marathon six times, setting a record in 1968 by reaching the top in just 2 hours, 14 minutes, 56 seconds.

Education

It is within the Jemez Valley Public Schools school district. Jemez Day School, a federal elementary school operated by the

Bureau of Indian Education The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior under the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs that directs and manages education functions. Formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs ...

, is in Jemez Pueblo.

Notable people

* Cliff Fragua, Jemez sculptor * James Madalena, former member of the

New Mexico House of Representatives The New Mexico House of Representatives () is the lower house of the New Mexico State Legislature. There are 70 members of the House. Each member represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the South ...

N. Scott Momaday Navarre Scotte Momaday (February 27, 1934–January 24, 2024) was a Kiowa and American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. His novel ''House Made of Dawn'' was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1969 in literature, 1969, and ...

, novelist, short story writer, essayist and poet who won the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

for Fiction * Benny Shendo, member of the

New Mexico Senate The New Mexico State Senate () is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state. All senatorial distr ...

* Mary Ellen Toya, (1934–1990), artist * Evelyn M. Vigil, artist

References

External links

Pueblo of Jemez website
* {{authority control Census-designated places in Sandoval County, New Mexico Census-designated places in New Mexico Albuquerque metropolitan area Indigenous languages of the North American Southwest Pueblo great houses Native American tribes in New Mexico National Register of Historic Places in Sandoval County, New Mexico Pueblos on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico