San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico
The residents of San Ildefonso are Tewa Pueblo Indians and speak a language of the Kiowa - Tanoan language family. San Ildefonso is the Spanish name for Saint Ildefonsus. The Spaniards named their missions to saints of the Catholic Church. The Indian proper name is Pokwoge and means where the water cuts. The Pueblo is located in the southwestern United States, on the Rio Grande in New Mexico, about 40 km northwest of Santa Fe at the foot of the Pajarito Mountains.
History
According to their tradition, the ancestors have lived in the cliff houses of Mesa Verde. From archaeological finds, we know that the Indians of San Ildefonso, speaking together with other Tewa groups, three villages have inhabited on the Pajarito Plateau, before they moved to the present-day area.
You have this area has been inhabited since 1300 AD, although the location of the village was changed several times. The Juan de Oñate in 1598 visited the village was almost two kilometers from the modern Pueblo.
In 1617, the Spanish built a mission in the village. It was destroyed by the Indians, as they participated in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The present church was built in 1905.
Looking for a easier against the Spaniards to defending local situation of the pueblo the people left his village in 1694 and moved to the top of the nearby Black Mesa. Together with allies from neighboring tribes they resisted successfully here three attacks from Diego de Vargas troops. After they had endured nine months in this Mesa Fortress, they gave up and finally went back to their village.
Crop failures and continuous religious oppression led in 1696 to a further revolt against Spanish rule. Most residents left their Pueblo again and sought refuge with other tribes; some moved far to the west to the villages of the Hopi to stay there. 1702 settled the Spaniards the Pueblo San Ildefonso with other Tewa -speaking Indians.
The village continued to struggle against emergencies. In the late 18th century, an estimated half of the population died in a smallpox epidemic. The religious oppression lasted and San Ildefonso was the scene of a number of witch trials.
To avert further disaster, decided the spiritual leaders of the pueblo in 1910 to change the spatial location of the village. About half of the inhabitants moved south to the place now known as South Plaza; the other half opposed the move and continued to live in the North Plaza. The result was a serious political split, because the religious leaders in the southern village gathered, while the secular officials remained in the northern village. This separation was made more than fifty years, but is completely abolished today, because the village development is a cooperative community spirit.
Religion
Religion is the most important aspect in the life of San Ildefonso. It unites the people and strengthens community spirit. Men and women are equal and give the faith to their children. All adults are part of the religious community. People of other faiths, so white and Indians from other tribes may not participate in the special religious ceremonies, unless they are members of other tribes or Tewa Pueblo Indians.
Culture
The famous polished black pottery of San Ildefonso are reviving an earlier craftsmanship of the pieces plateau were found in the ruins on the Pajarito. Attempts to replicate these historic finds have been initiated by the School of American Research in Santa Fe. These experiments were so successful that the production of this pottery soon became an important source of income of the pueblo. In 1919, the most famous of all Indian potters, Maria Martinez began, and her husband Julian with producing polished, decorated with matte black patterns pieces. Rosalie Aguilar made 1931 the first engraved copies. A number of excellent potters continued the work and hired beautiful polished, black and red, pieces using both decorative techniques fro. In 2000 there were 494, of which 300 are permanent, residents in about 104 sq km reserve.