Tesuque Ridge, Santa Fe National Forest, Santa Fe County
Current Population: 650
Location: 17,000 acres 9 miles north of Santa Fe in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains by the Tesuque River.
Language: Northern Tewa
Early Societal Structure: Patrilineal clans with ritual patrimoieties with kivas for each moiety
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Tesuque is a little older than most other Pueblos - it was founded in 1200. Their land includes spen Ranch and the Vigil Land Grant high in the Santa Fe National Forest near the Santa Fe ski area. The pueblo is closed certain days of the year and they don’t allow photography. Tesuque Pueblo remains one of the most conservative and traditional Pueblos.
The acequia system established with the settlement of El Rancho Benavides provided a means of fairly distributing crop irrigation water and it was a cultural link for the whole community. Acequias supplied the community’s drinking water, formed a network of paths connecting individual residences, and through the “mayordomos” control of water rights provided an effective political system that structured the entire village society. Land transaction and acequia records through the Spanish and Mexican periods show continuous use of the valley and its water for agricultural purposes. A number of those same acequias irrigate the valley today, with over 150 registered water users belonging to the five acequia associations of the valley. The patterns and configurations of land division and land use in Tesuque today reflect this historic acequia network and the associated agricultural uses of the past.
The watershed of the Rio Tesuque sustained Pueblo of Tesuque villagers and Spanish settlers providing a route into the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains for seasonal livestock herding, hunting and the gathering of firewood, piñones and other food resources and raw materials. Portions of the historic trail system that remain today are used for recreation. In 2012, the Santa Fe Conservation Trust help create the La Piedra Trail connection connecting the Santa Fe County La Piedra Open Space to the Santa Fe County Little Tesuque Creek Open Space both of which are also protected with conservation easements held by SFCT.
Participation during the Pueblo Revolt
Tesuque Pueblo made distinguished contributions during the Pueblo Revolt. Two of its men, Nicolas Catua and Pedro Omtua, became Revolt runners. The two men let the other Pueblos know about the plans for the uprising. It was at Tesuque Pueblo that the first blood of the revolt was shed on August 9, 1680, with the killing of a Spaniard, Cristobal de Herrera. The Mission Church of San Diego at Tesuque Pueblo destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt. In 1695 the church was rebuilt under the supervision of Fray Jose Diaz. By 1745 another church became a part of the Pueblo under the supervision of Fray Francisco Gonzalez. By the 1870s, that church fell into ruin and shuttered its doors.
Archived Inerviews
Information about Tesuque Pueblo is limited to non-existent. An organization called American West Center did an oral history project in the 1990s. The Tesuque Pueblo oral history project contains several interviews collected by the American West Center. The recordings are help in Salt Lake City. The website linked below has information on accessing the recordings and provides transcripts. Interviews include topics such as one Tesuque woman recalling growing up on her grandfather's ranch. Another woman gives information about her genealogy and recalls her growing up years. Topics discussed include cheese-making, the village school, St. Catherine's boarding school, her World War II military service, a furlough, marriage and children, making pottery, and cattle. There are 25 interviews.
