Acoma Pueblo

Three villages make up Acoma Pueblo: Sky City (Old Acoma), Acomita, and McCartys. The Acoma have continuously occupied the area for more than 800 years, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States. Acoma tribal traditions estimate that they have lived in the village for more than two thousand years.

I made sure to take the 15 mile drive off I-40 to see this historic place, even camping a night to make sure I had an entire day the next day. As luck would have it, any any travel knows the feeling, things did not quite work out. I followed the signs that kept pointing me to Acoma… 15 miles, 14 miles, 4 miles… and eventually I came to a very large STOP sign with a guard shack. The guard, as pleasantly as he could, informed me that Acoma was not open on weekday at this time of the year. Say what? Why not mention that on any of the 15 miles of signs leading up to the place? Argh!

It was not all bust though. The drive itself was fantastic. I took Hwy 38 in, and Hwy 23 out and honestly the scenery was worth the 30 mile road-trip. It seems that every parcel of land had it’s own historic stone buildings. Some were entire communities of stone buildings abandoned a long time back. Others were a bit more modern, but still abandoned as the land owners installed modular housing.

On the trip out, after the STOP sign, I drove right past Mesa Encantada (Enchanted Mesa); a huge butte in the desert landscape. It towered 430 feet above the roadway an spanned almost a quarter-mile long. I couldn’t help but to stop to snap a few pictures. Mesa Encantada was worth the 30 miles of driving alone.