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The Pueblo People The Pueblo people of today's American Southwest have been able to keep much of their ancient ceremonial tradition. They reside in many small communities scattered across the Four Corners area of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. The land where they live is the same land their ancestors lived on, and the desert landscape that surrounds them carries ancient markings that indicate a long relationship with this striking environment -- petroglyphs, abandoned stone towns, sherds of thousand-year-old painted pottery. As in the past, the Pueblo people honor the life-giving resources that enable them to survive in the desert. Images of the sun, of rain, of benevolent, nurturing ancestors feature prominently in Pueblo life, art, and religion. The Hopi, the Zuni, and the Rio Grande Pueblo peoples speak a variety of separate languages. Those who speak Zuni cannot understand those speaking Tewa, and those speaking Tewa cannot understand other Pueblos who speak Tiwa. Each of the Pueblo groups has its own distinct sacred and secular traditions, its own tribal government, its own traditional lands. Though these are collectively a people with much common history and with a common geography, there is also a great diversity among the various Pueblo peoples. To learn more about the Pueblo
people... Illustration: "The Mystery of Shalako," acrylic painting by Patrick Sanchez (Zuni)
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