New Mexico: San Juan

The San Juan Pueblo lies 30 miles north of Santa Fe and has been inhabited for over 700 years. It is surrounded primarily by farmland along the Rio Grande River and is home to over 1,800 people. The San Juan Pueblo is the largest of the Tewa-speaking pueblos, with about 12,000 acres.

Popay, who led the great Pueblo Revolt of 1680, was from the San Juan Pueblo. Popay felt that the San Juan people were too submissive to the Spanish and left to live at the Taos Pueblo. Once the Pueblo Revolt started, the San Juan people joined in.

San Juan was the original capitol of New Mexico under Spanish rule. Today it is the seat of the Northern Indian Pueblos Council.

Only 100 or so of the 700-year old buildings survive today. There is a distinguishing New England style church that was built in 1889, which is quite different from the mission style churches that are on the other New Mexico pueblos.