Travels with Twinkles: Acoma Pueblo

June 8 - 10, 2018:

It was a 150 miles drive today from White Rock, NM to Acoma, NM mostly on I-25 and I-40. The route 599 bypass route around Santa Fe was super easy, but going through Albuquerque was high traffic, not so much fun. We arrived at the Sky City Casino Hotel in early afternoon where we had a reservation. It is an easy pull through site with full hookup for $20 per day with lots of amenities.

Highway overpass near Sky City, I have no idea what it says

We took a ride about 16 miles west on I-40 to the town of Grants to check out an interesting bar / cafe called the Route 66 Junkyard Brewery. It is actually located inside a junk yard shop building on old route 66. The owner installed a Brewery inside, has a bar made out of a car lift, with tables from car hoods and old car seats. There were only two other people there, the owner opened the front overhead doors, turned on the flashing lights and had classic blues music playing on the sound system. There is an original 1923 Lincoln sedan parked inside for ambiance, the beer was very good, but no customers. We asked where to go for dinner in town, he said there wasn’t anyplace he would recommend, but he could cook me a burger. The burger was basic, just the way I like it, and good. The two other customers left and it was then just Twinkles and I. I felt bad for the owner and told him his place was great, it should be packed with people, where are the customers ? He just said that the locals don’t come out. That’s kind of the way the old route 66 downtown area looked too, mostly vacant but as usual the Walmart outside of town was packed with people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grants,_New_Mexico

Route 66 Junkyard Brewery

1923 Lincoln Sedan

An old car lift is used as the bar

Tables made from car hoods

The junk yard next door has many 50's vintage cars

Our reason for being here is to tour the Acoma Sky City Pueblo which is about 10 miles away. You are able to drive into the reservation to their beautiful Sky City Cultural Center where you then buy tickers for the guided tour, you aren’t allowed in any other way. They also have a museum, a gift shop and a cafe at the center. The tour takes you by a shuttle bus up onto the Mesa top where you then walk around the Pueblo with the guide explaining the history and culture of the Acoma people. There are vendors along the tour route with ceramic bowls, figurines, jewelry and such for sale. The unique thing about the Acoma Pueblo is that there is no electric, no running water or sewer systems installed, it is much like it was a thousand years ago. There are only a few people who live full time in the Pueblo today, but tribal owners and families come back for special events or occasions. There are approximately 300 structures all made of adobe and sandstone and owned by Acoma Pueblo females. The oldest buildings and habitation are from the 1100’s, but most the these buildings were destroyed by the Spanish in the 1500’s and then rebuilt latter. A few escaped the carnage and are still occupied. The guide was really good and made the tour interesting, also there was another young indian man on the tour from another tribe, also a tour guide, who added additional input.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoma_Pueblo

Statues at the Cultural Center

View from atop the Sky City Mesa

Our tour group and guide

Looking out towards Enchanted Mesa that figures heavily
in Acoma legend and even UFO controversy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchanted_Mesa

Note: The above link does not exactly match the story told by our Acoma tour guide. Who really knows ?

It has remained the same for generations

Except that lower doors have been added, entry used to be
through the roof only

I think the tour guide called it the Acoma National Forest,
it's the only tree on the mesa top

The San Esteban del Rey Mission completed in 1641

Around the corner from the campground is a very interesting section of original route 66 through the old towns and Indian Pueblos of Grants, McCarty's Pueblo, San Fidel, Ville de Cubero, Budville, Paraje and Laquna Pueblo. This has to be one of the most interesting and unchanged roadsides along route 66 route and is is on the National Register of Historic Places. You pass several Indian Pueblos, a mix of old adobe ruins and new construction, backyards filled with old cars, old trading Posts, old signs, it’s a travel back in time.

Kings Cafe and Bar is still open

There are many old stone houses like this on private
property. It appears that the Indians don't tear anything
down or maintain these buildings from their ancestors ?

In Budville where H.N. "Bud" Rice operated a wrecker service
and a Trading Post. He also served as Justice of the peace.

Another old route 66 roadhouse

The Villa de Cubero Trading Post is a fully stocked
General Store

All that remains of the Witing Brothers Service station near Grants, NM.
The Whiting Brothers started this chain of service stations in 1926
and at their peak had 100 stations

Old White Arrow Garage in San Fidel

Old buildings slowly crumbling away are the norm here

St. Joseph Church built in 1920 in San Fidel

The Santa Maria de Acoma Church in McCarty's which is
an Acoma reservation town off route 66

They refer to this curve as "Dead Mans Curve"

Route 66 sign painted on scenic section of roadway

Indian Arts Center at Laguna Pueblo

The Sky City Casino Hotel appears to be a prosperous enterprise for the Acoma Pueblo, it’s always crowded, seems to be the busiest truck stop off I-40 and even has a 24 hour McDonalds. We join the Casino players club that gets us a players card with a $5 credit, which did not last long, we donated our share to the Acoma Tribe

Another major geologic attraction in this area is the El Malpais National Momument, The Badlands in Spanish, created by volcanic activity about 115,000 years ago. There are vast areas of lava flows, lava tubes, caves and cinder cones. We took about a 5 mile loop hike in the El Caldera Trail Area. The wind was gusting which was good, or otherwise it would have been very hot. These lava flows emirate from the Zuni-Bandera Volcanic Field.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Malpais_National_Monument