Nanbé Owingeh served as a primary cultural and religious center for the northern New Mexican pueblo communities and has existed at its current site since the 14th century.

Most of the water for irrigating fields and gardens in this community comes from the Rio Nambe, and the reservoir which contains some of it above the community. In 2012, a wildfire ravaged the other side of the mountain from Nambe, burning the Ponderosa pines to a fine ash. The strong rains that followed washed the ash, as well as boulders, logs and soil, into the reservoir. The ash deprived the fish of oxygen, killing them all. The sand filled in part of the lake, diminishing its capacity, and decreasing the amount of water available to farmers down stream. The Bureau of Reclamation is currently working with the Pueblo to dredge the lake and return it to its former capacity.