Acoma pueblo stronghold of the Keres people of New Mexico. There are several interpretations of origin of the name "Acoma". Some believe that the name Acoma comes from the Keresan words for the People of the White Rock, with aa'ku meaning white rock, and meh meaning people.
The Acoma say that their people have been living in the village of Acu for at least two thousand years. They were hunter-gatherers and farmers who apparently lived a contented life hunting for game and working their fields.
Archaeological evidence from 1952 confirms the remains of pueblo structures that date from A. D. 1075 to 1599." There is also evidence in the material and oral histories to support earlier occupation of sites near the current pueblo.
The modern-day Acoma Pueblo, a federal reservation, is located 60 miles (97 kilometers) west of Albuquerque, New Mexico and is known as the “Sky City.”
When the Spanish entered New Mexico in 1540 the Acoma Indians were living on the same mesa they occupy today. They were friendly to the Spanish until 1598 when they killed one of Onate's officers.
The Spanish estimated that five thousand to ten thousand people lived in the Acoma village in 1540. In 1582 there were about six thousand Acoma people.
In 1598 Don Juan de Onate took formal possession of New Mexico for Spain. In response to the attack on his troops, he sent 70 men to Acoma to avenge this attack. The battle resulted in the destruction of the pueblo buildings and the deaths of many of the Acoma living in the pueblo.
Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico
