These communities are located near the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area , which includes several large cities and towns, including neighboring Laguna Pueblo. The Acoma Pueblo tribe is a federally recognized tribal entity, [ 3 ] whose historic land of Acoma Pueblo totaled roughly 5,, acres 2,, ha. Today, much of the Acoma community is primarily within the Acoma Indian Reservation. According to the United States Census, 4, people identified as Acoma.
The name does not have any meaning in the modern Acoma language. The name does not mean 'sky city'. The Spanish mission name was San Esteban de Acoma. Pueblo is the Spanish word for 'village' or 'small town' and 'people'. In general usage, it is applied both to the people and to the unique architecture of the southwestern native tribes. The Acoma language is classified in the western division of the Keresan languages. Pueblo people are believed to have descended from the Ancestral Puebloans , Mogollon , and other ancient peoples.
These influences are seen in the architecture, farming style, and artistry of the Acoma. In the 13th century, the Ancestral Puebloans abandoned their canyon homelands due to climate change and social upheaval. For more than two centuries, there were migrations in the area.
The Acoma Pueblo emerged by the 13th century. Evidence for their antiquity is the unique lack of adobe in their construction. This early founding date makes Acoma Pueblo one of the earliest continuously inhabited communities in the United States. The Pueblo is situated on a foot m mesa , about 60 miles 97 km west of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The isolation and location of the Pueblo has sheltered the community for more than 1, years as they sought protection from the raids of the neighboring Navajo and Apache peoples.
The first mention of Acoma was in Estevanico , a slave and was the first person of African descent to explore North America, was the first non-Indian to visit Acoma and reported it to Marcos de Niza , who related the information to the viceroy of New Spain after the end of his expedition. Acoma was called the independent Kingdom of Hacus. He called the Acoma people encaconados, which meant that they had turquoise hanging from their ears and noses.
