Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument

Transcription

Hi, I'm Brigitte, I'm Margaret, and I'm Drew, and we're your Youth In Park Rangers. We're going to be taking you to all of the National Parks in the state of New Mexico. Today we're headed to: Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument Drew: Gran Quivira is the largest of the three mission pueblos here at Salinas National Monument. It is home to Las Humanas which is the largest Salinas Pueblo in addition to two mission churches. The ruins of the first mission church, the church of San Isidro, can be seen here. San Isidro was the primary church used by the missionaries at Gran Quivira. A new church, called the mission of San Buenaventura began construction however was never completed because all of the inhabitants left due to drought and raiding. Visitors can walk through the ruins of San Buenaventura and gain an understanding of its vast size- had it been completed. Did you know that there was a circular pueblo buried beneath ruins of the rectangular pueblo at Gran Quivira? Before the rectangular pueblo was built, there used to be a circular pueblo in the same spot. What’s really exciting about this room in Mound 7 is that you can see two rooms: One, from the older circular pueblo, and one from the newer rectangular pueblo. To me, the juxtaposition of these two rooms is really moving. It makes me wonder what caused the puebloans to build the completely new pueblo. What’s unique about this place is that the ecosystem has completely changed. Back when this place was inhabited, there used to be lakes in the valley behind me. However, as you can see, there are no more lakes. Instead it is a lot drier now. What’s amazing about this place is that the flora has completely changed. Back when this place was inhabited there used to be ponderosa pine and piñon trees all over the place. However, behind me you can see a lot of juniper. What caused the juniper to be here is more likely over-grazing because the water tables have shifted and with the lack of water, the juniper have started to thrive and the species that take more water have dwindled away. One of the most notable designs of the Pueblo Missions is the shape of the doors. Instead of traditional rectangles, the doorways are angled inward. The reason for these angles is to let more natural light in to the church. During sunset and sunrise, the light of the sun would be in perfect place to travel through the angled doorway and bathe the altar and church in light. I find it remarkable that the pueblo missions are accentuated by nature. Margaret: Another site at Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is called Quarai. Like Abó and Las Humanas, Quarai was a thriving pueblo when Onate first approached it in 1598. Two ancient southwestern cultural traditions, the Ancient Puebloans and the Mogollon, overlapped in the Salinas valley to produce the pueblos within Salinas National Monument. They farmed, gathered salt at the nearby saline lakes, and traded, taking advantage of their location between the Rio Grande Pueblos and the Plains Indians. Only the large red-walled mission of Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Curac can be explored here at Quarai as the puebloan buildings remain unexcavated. The mission includes a church, a convento, a cemetery and a south convento. A square room within the mission was once used as a kiva when Catholic priests first attempted to convert the native people. At first, priests allowed the Native Americans to practice their traditional ceremonies. Once enough Native Americans converted to Christianity however, the Spanish forbade the practice of traditional ceremonies and filled in the kivas – like this one- with trash and debris. This practice essentially succeeded in pushing the Native American traditional ceremonies underground, forcing the Native Americans to practice their ceremonies in secret. While walking through the church, you get a chance to experience the mixture of Spanish and Native American cultures. After passing the square kiva, you enter the main room of the church whose overall shape is a cross. The flooring in the room is original, making it even cooler as you know you’re walking on the same stones as the Native Americans and Spanish did many years ago. As the trail brings you back to the visitor center, you pass the unexcavated mounds of some pueblo rooms. These rooms were homes to the Native Americans who inhabited Quarai and will remain unexcavated in order to aid preservation. Quarai is an interesting, unique ruin among the Salinas Missions. So visit them all to experience everything the monument has to offer!