Field Trip: Tewa Pathways from Tsankawi to Pojoaque

Tewa Pathways from Tsankawi to Pojoaque

October 7, 2021

Cost per person:
$150 (Includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to SAR)

To register for this trip click here.

Study Leader:  Joseph “Woody” Aguilar

Tsankawi is one of several large ancestral Tewa pueblo villages on the Pajarito Plateau that the ancestors of San Ildefonso Pueblo occupied before establishing their contemporary pueblo in the northern Rio Grande Valley. The village continues to hold a special place in the histories, traditions, and futures of contemporary San Ildefonso People. Participants will join Joseph “Woody” Aguilar, an enrolled member of San Ildefonso Pueblo and anthropologist, at the Tsankawi Prehistoric Sites at Bandelier National Monument. Woody will provide unique insights into the multiple meanings and histories of Tsankawi and its ongoing relationship to the people of San Ildefonso Pueblo.

After a boxed picnic lunch, we’ll head over to the Poeh Cultural Center in Pojoaque for a contemporary look at cultural revitalization and preservation of Pueblo communities in northern New Mexico. The mission of the Center is to be a gathering place for the respectful sustaining of Tewa traditions.. The Center emphasizes arts and cultures of all Pueblo People with focus on the Tewa-speaking Pueblos of Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, San Juan, Santa Clara, Tesuque, and Nambe. In their own words:

Here, at the Poeh, old rhythms of life and ways of making beauty are still important. People bring beauty to the world on a pathway of being, doing and sharing called the Poeh. In the Tewa Pueblo language Poeh translates to “path” and the Poeh Cultural Center embodies that pathway, the essence of what it means to be a Tewa person – to be Pueblo.

We’ll break into two groups and spend the afternoon touring the museum at the Center as well as Roxanne Swentzell’s Tower Gallery.

Roxanne Swentzell is a sculptor, ceramic artist, Indigenous food activist, and gallerist from Santa Clara Pueblo. Her work continues to be among the most dynamic and innovative in contemporary figurative pottery, often exploring the balance of power between the male and female.

Joseph Aguilar

Joseph Aguilar is an enrolled member of San Ildefonso Pueblo, and received his Ph.D. from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. His primary research focuses on the archaeology of the North American Southwest, with a specific interest in Spanish-Pueblo relations during the late 17th century, following the arrival of Spaniards into the Northern Rio Grande region. His general research interests include Indigenous Archaeology, landscape archaeology, and tribal historic preservation. He currently serves as on the Advisory Board of the Tribal Historic Preservation Office at San Ildefonso, and was in residence at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe as the 2014-15 Katrin H. Lamon Fellow.

This trip will be self-driving.

Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous. The Tsankawi portion of the day includes hiking on uneven ground and climbing up and down ladders up to 15-feet tall. Hiking shoes, hats, and walking sticks are encouraged.

Includes: Study leader; water and snacks; box lunch; entry fees and gratuities.

Please note that transportation is not provided at this time. Parking is available at Tsankawi and the Poeh Cultural Center.

COVID-19: We are excited to resume SAR member trips. In order to ensure your safety and the safety of our staff and study leaders, we ask you to abide by the protocols in place at the time of the trip. Those protocols will be sent to you a week or so prior. SAR guidelines can change based on the CDC and state guidelines. Thank you for your understanding and patience during these unusual times.

Field trips are open to SAR members and our Galisteo members and up receive priority registration. For more information about SAR’s field trips, including activity levels and our cancellation policy, please visit our field trips page here.