The question of whether the Zia Indians are American Indians is definitively answered with a resounding yes. The Zia Indians, also known as the Zia Pueblo tribe, are indeed a recognized and integral part of the broader group of Native American tribes collectively known as Pueblo Indians. To understand their place within this larger context, it’s essential to delve into the history, culture, and unique characteristics that define the Pueblo people and the specific identity of the Zia Pueblo.
The term "Pueblo Indians" isn’t a singular tribal designation, but rather an umbrella term encompassing numerous distinct tribes, each with its own village, traditions, and government. These tribes, while independent today, share a common ancestry, tracing their roots back to the ancient cultures that flourished in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. These ancestral groups include the Hohokam, Mogollon, Keresan, and the Anasazi, each contributing to the rich tapestry of Puebloan heritage. These prehistoric cultures left behind archaeological evidence, including sophisticated irrigation systems, intricate pottery, and, most notably, the impressive architectural structures known as pueblos.
The word "pueblo" itself is Spanish, meaning "town" or "village." It refers both to the people and to the distinctive architectural style that characterizes their settlements. Pueblos are typically multi-story, multi-family dwellings constructed from adobe, stone, or other locally available materials. These structures often surround a central plaza, which serves as a communal gathering space and the location of the kiva, a subterranean or semi-subterranean chamber used for religious ceremonies and social gatherings. Cliff dwellings and cave dwellings, prevalent in the same geographical region, are considered variations of the pueblo architectural form, adapted to the specific terrain and defensive needs of the inhabitants.
Over centuries, these ancient peoples gradually dispersed, forming smaller, more localized groups. The factors influencing these migrations were diverse, including the availability of water, access to game, proximity to building materials for their pueblo homes, suitable conditions for agriculture, and the need for defensible locations. Cliffs and high mesas, offering panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, were often favored due to their strategic advantage against potential invaders.
The original territory inhabited by the Pueblo Indians spanned a vast area, extending from approximately the Arkansas and Grand Rivers in Colorado and Utah southward into Mexico, and from central Arizona eastward almost across the Texas Panhandle. This expansive territory encompassed a variety of ecological zones, from arid deserts to semi-arid grasslands, each presenting unique challenges and opportunities for the inhabitants.
A significant factor in the fragmentation and dispersal of the Pueblo people was the scarcity of water in much of their territory. The arid and semi-arid climate limited the capacity of the land to support large, concentrated populations. Around 1,000 years ago, a prolonged drought, lasting for more than two decades, is believed to have triggered a significant population shift, forcing many Puebloans to abandon larger, established settlements in search of more sustainable resources.
As populations grew in certain areas, smaller groups branched off to establish their own settlements in resource-rich locations. Over time, these settlements evolved into distinct tribes, each with its own government, traditions, and cultural practices. While developing unique identities, these tribes retained many of the traditions inherited from their common ancestors. The Zia Indians represent one such group, having emerged as a distinct tribal entity with its own unique history and cultural identity.
Archaeological evidence suggests that there were once more than one hundred separate pueblos. In the 1600s, an estimated 60,000 Pueblo Indians occupied approximately 90 pueblos. Today, only 26 pueblos are continuously inhabited, excluding the smaller, Americanized pueblos of Isleta del Sur in Texas and Senecú in Mexico, near El Paso. With the exception of these two and the seven Hopi pueblos (including Hano) in Arizona, all remaining pueblos are located in New Mexico. All of these pueblos, except for Senecú in Mexico and San Juan de Guadalupe, which is currently petitioning, hold US Federal recognition as American Indian tribes.
The Pueblo Indians originally spoke seven languages belonging to four distinct linguistic families, with regional dialects further diversifying communication. Today, however, most Pueblo people primarily speak variations of two linguistic families: Keresan and Tanoan, alongside English and, frequently, Spanish. This linguistic diversity reflects the complex history and cultural interactions that have shaped the Pueblo people over centuries.
The Pueblo of Zia belongs to the Keres Nation, and its traditional language is Keresan. While many Zia people speak Spanish and some speak Navajo, the vast majority also speak English. The Zia Pueblo has been continuously inhabited since approximately 1250 A.D., demonstrating a remarkable continuity of culture and tradition.
The Zia Indian Reservation is located in the flood plain of the Jemez River and the Pajarito and Jemez Plateaus in Sandoval County, New Mexico, approximately 35 miles northwest of Albuquerque. Six other pueblos are also located in this county, creating a significant concentration of Pueblo communities in the region. The current boundaries of the Pueblo of Zia Reservation encompass approximately 190 square miles, or 117,000 acres. The Zia Pueblo is situated 17 miles (27 km) northwest of Bernalillo and eight miles northwest of Santa Ana Pueblo on U.S. Highway 550. The Jemez Indian Reservation is located in the same general area, approximately 15 miles away.
The Zia Pueblo is strategically positioned atop a small mesa beside the Jemez River, offering a commanding view of the surrounding areas. The landscape surrounding the Zia Pueblo is characterized by pine forests, red bluffs, white mesas, sinkholes, and unobstructed sightlines in every direction. Behind the Zia Pueblo lie the Nacimiento Mountains and the Pajarito and Jemez Plateaus, further enhancing the dramatic setting. Once one of the largest of the Río Grande pueblos, boasting eight plazas and a population of 6,000, the Zia Pueblo has decreased in size to a population of approximately 730 today. There are currently 167 housing units in the Zia Pueblo, with 132 individually owned and the remainder designated as communal housing. The Zia Pueblo is open to the public during daylight hours.
More than many other tribes, the Pueblo Indians, as a collective, and the Zia Indians in particular, have maintained their traditional beliefs and ways of life, resisting assimilation into the dominant European culture. They maintain a strict protocol of etiquette for visitors and discourage the sharing of cultural information with outsiders, which has resulted in a scarcity of specific information about the Zia Indians online. The tribe prioritize protecting their traditions.
Most Pueblo tribes hold annual ceremonies that are open to the public, often coinciding with the tribe’s feast day, which is held on the day sacred to its Roman Catholic patron saint. These saints were assigned by Spanish missionaries to align each pueblo’s feast day with a traditional Catholic celebration. The Zia Indians‘ Feast Day, coinciding with the Catholic holiday for Our Lady of the Assumption, is celebrated on August 15th. The main public ceremony held on this day is the Corn Dance, a sacred ritual during which photography, sketching, and recording are strictly prohibited.
Artists from the Zia Pueblo are particularly renowned for their pottery, and to a lesser extent, for their watercolor paintings. Zia pottery is typically an unpolished redware with white slip, decorated with brown or black motifs, often featuring feathers or birds. The bird motif is a particularly sacred symbol.
Zia pottery styles have remained remarkably consistent since the mid-1700s, exhibiting minimal European or curio-market influence. The matte paint styles of Pueblo pottery decoration emerged in the late seventeenth century, replacing an earlier glazeware tradition known as Puname Polychrome, which was used in Zia pottery from 1680 to 1740. The later style, San Pablo Polychrome, named after an old Spanish name for the pueblo of Zia, is characterized by sturdy, thick-walled jars and vases with pleasing, symmetrical shapes. Until around 1765, these vessels were distinguished by a red-painted rim top, a feature that has since been replaced by a black rim.
One of the defining characteristics of Zia pottery is the use of hand-ground basalt stone as temper for the hand-dug clay. This laborious process creates a durable and strong working mixture when fired. Zia potters generally prefer a softly sanded, gently polished buff slip background, decorated with traditional symbols such as the Zia bird (roadrunner), rainbow arcs, flower forms, cloud points, and the Zia sun symbol.
The Zia sun symbol holds particular significance, as it inspired its inclusion on the New Mexico state flag. Dr. Harry Mera, a physician and anthropologist at the Museum of Anthropology in Santa Fe, was inspired by a pot made by an anonymous Zia potter in the late 1800s, which featured a circle of white ringed in red, with three rays emanating from each of the four cardinal directions and two triangular eyes and a rectangular mouth in black.
From this pot, Dr. Mera developed the red ring with four rays that serves as the symbol of New Mexico today. In 1925, the state of New Mexico adopted Dr. Mera’s burgundy sun on a field of gold as its new state flag.
To the Zia people, the sun symbol represents the basic harmony of the universe. Four is a sacred number, reflecting the four directions, the four seasons, the sunrise, noon, evening, and night phases of the day, and the four stages of life: childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age. The Zia believe that individuals have four sacred obligations: to develop a strong body, a clear mind, a pure spirit, and a devotion to the well-being of the people.
The Zia Indians have adopted a white flag featuring the red Zia sun symbol, identical to the one on the New Mexico state flag. Above the sun is the black inscription "Pueblo of Zia," and the entire flag is bordered in black. The combination of red, white, and black reflects the colors of Zia pottery.
A few Zia potters continue to produce large water jar ollas, some reaching 24 inches in height, which are highly valued by collectors of traditional pottery. In addition to traditional styles, Marcellus Medina, following in the tradition established by his parents, decorates his wife Elizabeth’s pots with detailed depictions of ceremonial dancers, animals, and other cultural motifs. His family’s pottery is widely considered the pinnacle of Zia pottery.
Besides the Medina family, the Herrera and Aragon families are renowned Zia potter families, known for their beautiful, award-winning pottery.
In conclusion, the Zia Indians are undeniably American Indians, a vital part of the Pueblo Indian heritage, and have played an important part in New Mexico history. Their rich cultural traditions, distinctive artistic expressions, and enduring connection to their ancestral lands make them a significant and valued community.