The land of the Pueblos

"The land of the Pueblos" by Susan E. Wallace is a travelogue and historical-ethnographic account written in the late 19th century. It portrays New Mexico’s landscapes, towns, and Pueblo communities through firsthand travel, archival curiosities, and sketches of frontier life. The work interweaves Spanish exploration lore with careful observation of Pueblo history, architecture, laws, and ceremonies. Expect vivid scenes of Santa Fe, pueblo plazas and estufas, and accounts of customs, dances, and myths that shape the region’s identity.

The opening of the book gathers earlier magazine pieces into one volume, then follows the author’s arduous journey west—through sleepless nights in rail cars, a poignant vignette of a dying youth bound for Colorado air, and a punishing buckboard ride—before arriving in sun-bleached, time-worn Santa Fe. Wallace then shifts to a brisk historical survey: Cabeza de Vaca’s wanderings, Coronado’s quest for Cíbola, early descriptions of pueblos like Acoma, and a sober demystification of cliff dwellings. She sketches Pueblo continuity from those encounters to the present—their adobe architecture, estufas, pottery, and the enduring Montezuma tradition centered on Pecos’s sacred fire and “miracle tree,” a prophecy symbolically fulfilled with American occupation. Next she outlines Pueblo governance (cacique, governor, principales, and war and religious officers), communal land use and agriculture, and the language and cultural conservatism that frustrate missionary efforts. The section closes with a detailed, eye-level account of the green corn dance at Santo Domingo—its painted dancers, pounding drums, ritual kettles, and communal distribution of boiled corn—followed by the first glimpses of daily life on Santa Fe’s plaza and reflections on the area’s mixed heritages.