At this site there are a couple pueblo ruins, examples of Kivas (a circular dwelling in ground used for religious rituals), and a partially reconstructed church. There is also a 9 minute educational film and small museum (with examples of Pueblo pottery and other artifacts) located in the visitor center. I didn't know anything about this area before I visited today. I learned that the Pecos Pueblo is the eastern most Pueblo ever built. The Puebloian Native Americans were also very resilient and adaptable people. They had to completely rebuild their belief systems while simultaneously preserving their Native American heritage when the Spanish conquistadors arrived and forced this group to convert to Christianity. At some points, while I was walking around, I was struck with the similarities between the harsh realities of both the Native American and African American cultures in this country. It's nice to see places like this (and similarly the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham) preserve these places and stories from our collective pasts.
The mountain views here are spectacular and I also caught a glimpse of a distant rain storm that looked like a giant jellyfish in the distance with tentacles of rain reaching down from the cloud umbrella in the sky. How different and beautiful a storm can look when there is a wide open land to receive it with majestic mountains as the perfect backdrop!
Hey Kelly! Thanks for following. Yes the landscapes and architecture here are beautiful!
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