Puebloans

Quick Facts: Who was Puebloans?

Subject:

Puebloans

Known for:

Native American peoples of the Southwestern US, known for unique agricultural and religious traditions.

Died:

Living / None

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Pueblo peoples, sometimes referred to as Puebloans, are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Among the currently inhabited pueblos, Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zuni, and Hopi are some of the most commonly known. Pueblo people speak languages from four different language families, and each pueblo is further divided culturally by kinship systems and agricultural practices, although all cultivate varieties of corn (maize). Pueblo peoples have lived in the American Southwest for millennia and descend from the Ancestral Pueblo peoples. The term Anasazi is sometimes used to refer to Ancestral Puebloan.

Career & Major Achievements

"Anasazi" is a Navajo adoption of a Ute term that translates to Ancient Enemy or Primitive Enemy, but was used by them to mean something like "barbarian" or "savage", hence the modern Pueblo peoples' rejection of it (see exonym). Pueblo is a Spanish term for "village". When Spanish conquest of the Americas began in the 16th century with the founding of Nuevo México, they came across complex, multistory villages built of adobe, stone and other local materials. New Mexico contains the largest number of federally recognized Pueblo communities, though some Pueblo communities also live in Arizona and Texas and along the Rio Grande and Colorado rivers and their tributaries. Pueblo nations have maintained much of their traditional cultures, which center around agricultural practices, a tight-knit community revolving around family clans, and respect for tradition.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Pueblo people have been remarkably adept at preserving their culture and core religious beliefs, including developing syncretic Pueblo Christianity. Exact numbers of Pueblo peoples are unknown but, in the 21st century, some 75,000 Pueblo people live predominantly in New Mexico and Arizona, but also in Texas and elsewhere. Pueblo, which means "village" and "people" in Spanish, was a term originating with the Spanish explorers who used it to refer to the people's particular style of dwelling. The term Puebloan was previously common in an archeological context during the twentieth century. In the twentieth century, Pueblo peoples and their archaeological culture were often referred to by the term Anasazi exonym, a term introduced by Alfred V. Kidder from the Navajo word anaasází meaning 'enemy ancestors' (anaa– 'enemy', -sází 'their ancestors') although Kidder thought it meant 'old people'.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Puebloans

True or False: “The term 'Anasazi' used by some outsiders to refer to the people is currently accepted by all contemporary Pueblo groups as a respectful descriptor.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Contemporary Pueblo peoples actively object to the use of 'Anasazi,' viewing it as a derogatory exonym rather than an accurate or respectful term.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Puebloans