Located in Bernalillo, a town and the seat of Sandoval County, the Coronado Historic Site at Kuaua Pueblo preserves a pre-Columbian settlement that thrived from the 1300s to 1600s. Interpretive exhibits describe legacies of the first contacts between Indigenous people and Spanish conquistadors and explorers, most notably the expedition of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado that passed through the area in 1540-1541.
Southwestern Pueblo Culture
Today, "pueblo" has a broader meaning within the Southwestern United States. In addition to describing areas with structures, the word is used to define the boundaries of settlements for sovereign Indigenous nations, in the way that the term "reservation" is used in other parts of the US.
The Kuaua Pueblo
The Kuaua people lived in a Pueblo alongside the Rio Grande. This settlement existed as one of a dozen well-established communities along or near the Rio Grande in the present-day Albuquerque area by the mid-1500s.
According to anthropologists, the Kuaua people occupied the northernmost pueblo in the immediate area. Speakers of the Tiwa language, their community name of "Kuaua" meant "evergreen," a logical name for people who lived a short distance from the Sandia Mountains.
By the 1500s, this Pueblo had upwards of 1,200 people. Trade took place with other Pueblos. The Rio Grande and bosque (forest) alongside it offered regular routes between communities. In addition, the rich soils close to the river allowed for the growth of crops near the cottonwood trees.
The Pueblo included surface level and covered kivas. Within the Puebloan settlements, kivas held great cultural significance as locations where rituals, worship, and governance took place. Although some kivas are squares, many are circular.
Early Contact: The Coronado Expedition
In the late 1530s, plans took place for Spanish explorers to travel into present-day Arizona and New Mexico in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola. Aztecs claimed that these fabled lands in the Pueblos of New Mexico supposedly had great wealth.
Esteban the Moor ventured into this area as a member in an advance party. Although he disappeared in 1539, details from this expedition allowed Francisco Vázquez de Coronado to prepare for his mission. Also known as Estevanico, Esteban first arrived in North America as a member of the Panfilo de Narvaez expedition that landed in the Tampa Bay region in April 1528.
Coronado launched a Spanish expedition in search of the Seven Cities in February 1540. Their travels took them into present-day Arizona and New Mexico, with some expeditions reaching as far as central Kansas.
The Tiguex War
In late 1540, some members of Coronado's expedition reached the area near Bernalillo. They visited Indigenous settlements in the area, most likely including the Kuaua Pueblo. At that time, this Pueblo had structures that included more than 1,000 rooms for living, dry food storage, and other activities. These structures may have included three stories in some locations.
From December 1540 through March 1541, Spaniards under Coronado's command battled against members of the Southern Tiwa who lived in Pueblos in the Albuquerque area. Some battles took place in or near Bernalillo, and most likely also occurred at the Kuaua Pueblo.
No definitive archaeological evidence places Coronado on the Kuaua Pueblo. However, the Tiguex War represents the earliest documented prolonged battles between Europeans (Spaniards) and Indigenous people in the continental United States.
Earlier battles in peninsular Florida between the First Floridians and Juan Ponce de Leon (1513 and 1521) and, later, Panfilo de Narveaz (1528) most likely represented shorter periods of hostility, followed by parties retreating.
Ultimately, members of Coronado's expedition reached as far as east-central Kansas, the Grand Canyon, and areas near the Hatch Valley in southern New Mexico. The word "Tiguex" (pronounced similar to "Tiwa") is occasionally used to refer to the Albuquerque area to this day.
Pueblo Excavations
Nearly 400 years after the Tiguex War, the economic downturn of the Great Depression created an opportunity to evaluate the significance of the Kuaua Pueblo. During the late 1930s, archaeological excavations took place at this site as a New Deal public works project.
Crews carefully excavated approximately 1,200 rooms at this location during the late 1930s. Not all areas were reviewed, and many unexcavated areas remain. When the Kuaua Pueblo was inhabited, the living spaces above ground level were entered by climbing wooden ladders and entering through open areas on the roof.
Some culturally significant items were moved for their long-term preservation, due to the damage they received from exposure to the elements. Artists carefully created replicas of kiva paintings. Teams from the Works Progress Administration designed copies of ruin walls in certain excavated areas to give an impression of living spaces that once existed to today's visitors.
A New Mexico Historic Site
A visitor center stands at the entrance of the Kuaua Pueblo. Within this structure, visitors can review both Puebloan and Spanish artifacts.
Coronado State Monument opened to the public in 1940. Commemorating the 400th anniversary of Coronado's arrival in the area, this location later took the name of the Kuaua Pueblo and Coronado to represent the legacy of the Puebloans and Europeans from the first encounters.
A circular path takes visitors on a tour of history that recognizes the people who settled here upwards of 700 years ago. The original Kuaua settlers probably arrived around 1300, moving from drier desert areas after experiencing a period of prolonged drought.
The adjacent Rio Grande allowed the Kuaua people to flourish on the crops they cultivated. The structure of the original Pueblo originated from the earth and trees surrounding them.
Guests learn about a once-vibrant settlement in Bernalillo that sits adjacent to the Santa Ana Pueblo and within a short distance of other Pueblo communities, including the Jemez, Kewa, San Filipe, Sandia, and Zia nations.
Taking this path around the Pueblo and back in time provides an understanding of the lifestyle of these inhabitants. Although people associate this region with hot and arid summers, the cooler spring and fall seasons provided comfort. Winters, though cold, generally lacked the intensity found on the east side of the Sandias, areas of western New Mexico, or in the mountains to the north.
The Coronado Historic Site at Kuaua Pueblo allows visitors to appreciate those who lived on these lands before Europeans settled in North America. Similar to any great museum or historic site, visitors who venture here often leave with as many questions as answers.
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