Acoma Pueblo
1289 Haaku Rd, Acoma Pueblo, NM
Acoma Pueblo, NM
An adobe village standing on a sheer sandstone mesa above the desert, home to the Acoma people for many centuries and among the oldest continuously inhabited places in the country.
West of Albuquerque, a sandstone mesa rises sheer above the desert, and on top of it stands an adobe village that the Acoma people have called home for a very long time. Known as Sky City, or Haaku in the Keres language, it is widely counted among the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America, with roots reaching back many centuries before Europeans arrived.
Acoma is not a ruin or a reconstruction. It is a living pueblo, still owned and cared for by the Acoma people, some of whom keep homes on the mesa top without running water or electricity as a way of holding onto the old ways. Visitors are welcome through guided tours that begin at the cultural center below, and the experience is shaped and led by the community itself.
What Guests Love
- The view of the ancient adobe village standing on its sheer mesa above the desert floor
- Guided tours led by Acoma community members who share the pueblo's living history
- The great mission church of San Esteban del Rey, built by hand in the 1600s
- Acoma's famous thin-walled, hand-painted pottery, sold by the potters themselves
Worth Knowing
- The mesa-top village can only be visited on a guided tour that begins at the Sky City Cultural Center
- This is a private, living community, so photography is restricted and permits are required where allowed; always follow your guide's directions
- Tours can be limited or closed during ceremonial days, so it is wise to confirm the schedule before arriving
- There is little shade on the mesa top and the climb is steep, so bring water and sturdy shoes
Details
Acoma Pueblo, NM
Learn about Acoma Pueblo
The Acoma people and Sky City
The Acoma are a Keres-speaking Pueblo people, and their oral history holds that Haaku has been their home since time immemorial. The mesa-top village, safe behind its cliffs and reachable in the old days only by hand-and-toe trails cut into the stone, sheltered the community for generations and made it a stronghold that outlasted centuries of change.
Today most Acoma families live in villages at the base of the mesa and across the reservation, farming, working, and raising children, while the mesa top remains the spiritual and ceremonial heart of the pueblo. A handful of homes there are still lived in year-round, and the whole community gathers on the mesa for feast days and ceremonies that are closed to the public.
The mission church of San Esteban del Rey
The great church of San Esteban del Rey rises above the mesa-top village, its massive earthen walls and twin towers dominating the skyline. It was built in the 1600s under Spanish direction, and the labor of raising it fell on the Acoma people, who carried the enormous roof timbers and countless loads of earth up the cliff by hand. It stands as both a place of worship and a monument to that immense effort.
The church and its walled cemetery are among the most striking Spanish-colonial structures in the Southwest. Its history is bound up with a painful chapter, for the Spanish assault on Acoma in 1599 brought terrible violence to the pueblo. The Acoma people endured, kept their language and ceremonies alive, and today interpret this layered history in their own words on the tours they lead.
Acoma pottery
Acoma is renowned for its pottery, among the finest in the Pueblo world. Potters dig a special clay from the reservation, coil it into thin-walled vessels, and paint them with intricate geometric and animal designs using natural pigments and yucca brushes. The walls are worked so thin that a finished pot can be startlingly light, and the best pieces ring when tapped.
Many of the designs carry meaning drawn from the natural world and the pueblo's traditions, from rain and lightning patterns to parrots and the fine-line work that Acoma is famous for. On a visit you can often buy directly from the artists on the mesa, and the exchange, hearing about a piece from the person who made it, is part of what makes a trip to Acoma memorable.
Visiting respectfully
A visit to Sky City begins at the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum below the mesa, where tours are arranged and Acoma history and art are on display. From there, community guides lead visitors up to the village and walk them through its lanes, the church, and the overlooks, sharing the stories the pueblo chooses to tell. Because it is a private, sacred community, the guided format is not a formality but a matter of respect.
Photography is restricted and requires a permit where it is allowed at all, and some areas and all ceremonies are closed to outsiders. Tours can pause for ceremonial days, so it is best to check ahead. Approached with patience and respect, Acoma offers something rare, a chance to stand in one of the oldest living communities on the continent and hear its story from its own people.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Acoma Pueblo
Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum
At the base of the mesa
The starting point for all tours, with exhibits on Acoma history, pottery, and culture, plus a cafe serving pueblo dishes.
El Malpais National Monument
About 30 miles, a 40 minute drive
A rugged landscape of lava flows, cinder cones, sandstone bluffs, and the La Ventana natural arch southwest of Grants.
Grants
About 25 miles, a 30 minute drive
A Route 66 town at the foot of Mount Taylor, once the uranium capital of the country, with a mining museum and services.
Laguna Pueblo
About 15 miles, a 20 minute drive
A neighboring Keres pueblo along old Route 66, with a striking white mission church visible from the interstate.