CORONADO STATE MONUMENT
Photos
June 2000
The Coronado State Monument is the home to ancient Indian ruins of Kuau'a. Kuaua, a Tiwa word for "evergreen," was first settled around AD 1300 by American Indians who had long known about the fertile land near the Rio Grande. It is believed to be the northernmost village of the Tiguex Province. During the late 1930's, archaeologists unearthed approximately 1200 rooms of the village. There are many more rooms which remain unexcavated. These walls are not the original but were constructed in the 1940's to give an idea of the extent of the ancient pueblo.
From US Interstate 25, exit 242, travel west one mile and turn right (north). Campground/RV Park is also available. (505) 867-5351 www.NMCulture.org
Toward the end of February 1540, an army of nearly three hundred Spanish soldiers, one thousand Indian allies and slaves, one thousand horses, and at least five hundred mules and other stock, left the frontier town of Compostela, Mexico, and marched northward in search of the legendary Seven Golden Cities of Cibola. The Captain General of this expeditionary army was Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. Coronado's party camped near the Tiwa pueblo of Kuaua, one of the many villages contacted by the explorers. The Spanish Conquistadors occupied one of the pueblos in the Tiguex Province during the winters of 1540-41 and 1541-42.
The Rio Grande (translated Big River)
"Tiguex is a province of twelve pueblos, on the banks of a large
and mighty river. Some of the pueblos are on one bank, some on the other. It
is a spacious valley two leagues wide. To the east there is a snow-covered sierra,
very high and rough."
--
Pedro de Castaneda (1540)
"This Nuestra Senora river (Rio Grande) flows through a broad valley planted with fields of maise. There are some cottonwood groves. There are twelve pueblos." -- Hernando de Alvarado (1540)
Sheltered picnic area, walkways, and bridges built for visitors to the monument.
The pit-like structures are the ruins of underground chambers called kivas. The Pueblo Indians of today conduct many of their religious ceremonies in similar kivas although they are now generally built above ground. A closer picture of the square kiva, in the background, is displayed three pictures below.
At first, the Tigua people welcomed the visitors and submitted to their demands for food, shelter and clothing. However, demands of the army became unbearable. The Tiguas staged a desperate revolt against the Spanish invaders in the winter of 1540-41. The results were disasterous for the pueblo people. Two villages were destroyed and many of the people killed.
In spite of Coronado's accomplishments of exploring and opening up areas unknown to the European, the expedition was considered a failure. For they had not found the fabled cities of gold, only mud villages. Coronado suffered an injury from a fall from his horse in this vicinity from which he would never completely recover. When he returned to Mexico, he found that his influence with the Spanish court had diminished. He was brought to trial for mismanagement of the army and for cruelties inflicted upon the native peoples. Coronado was exonerated of the charges but his significant contributions to the European settlement of the New World went unrecognized during his lifetime. The army returned to Mexico two years later after traveling over four thousand miles through country never before seen by the European. Coronado had prepared the way for further expeditions and eventual colonization of the Southwest by the Spanish.
The pueblo of Kuaua was abandoned around the beginning of the 17th century. The exact reasons for abandonment are not known. Some of the contributing factors may have included: a drought that lasted some 20 years until 1593, the disrupting influence of the Europeans, and warfare with nomadic Indian tribes. The people at the nearby pueblos of Sandia and Santa Ana claim that their ancestors came from this pueblo. The entire Tiguex Province lay abandoned after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
A square kiva, excavated in the south plaza of the community in the 1930's, contained many layers of mural paintings. These murals represent some of the finest examples of Pre-Columbian mural art in North America. Both the kiva and one of the mural layers are reconstructed and open to visitors, by a ladder through a hatchway in the roof, while several of the preserved mural segments are open to viewing in the mural room of the visitor center. The visitor center also contains prehistoric and historic Indian and Spanish colonial artifacts exhibits with several hands-on components.
One of the several murals displayed in the kiva, shown immediately above.
Replica of 16th -17th century Spanish Armor. The Morion helmet and breastplate were made by the Anvil Arms Company in 1983 specifically for this exhibition. Visitors can try them on in the visitor center.
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