I am not really sure what I wrote last time, and it has been a while since I have been able to pull out the computer again. Being in charge of six kids is not easy. Especially six that are all the same age, and on a trip that is supposed to teach them about independence. Not all of them are quite used to not being cleaned up after, or having to carry their own things.
Acoma is an amazing place. Acoma pueblo, or the Sky city has been continuously inhabited now for roughly 1000 years. People do live on top of the mesa year round still, even without modern conveniences like electricity and running water. There is a paved road that you can drive up now, but that did not get built until the 50's when a John Wayne movie was filmed at the mesa. I am not sure of the name of the film, but apparently it was one that took place in North Africa, and the top of a mesa in New Mexico was the spot they wanted to film. Our guide, who was named Kevin, who is one of the Acoma people said that a few films had been made there, and several of them actually were Safari in Africa type films. Before the road was put in the only way to get to the top of the mesa was on foot, through hidden trails and pathways cut in to the rock, that only the native people knew about, in order to keep their enemies away.
When the Spanish arrived, they did force the people to conform to Catholicism, and a mission was built on the top of the mesa, on top of the holy Kivas. Any Native religion practices were done in secret. More to come.
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