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Hawikku, Kechiba:wa, Kwa’kin’a, Halona:wa, Mats’a:kya, Kyaki:ma, Village of the Great Kivas, Hanlibinkya, Yellow House Ruins, Heshotultha, Atsinna, Heshota Yalta and more...

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These sites – and perhaps hundreds more like them over the past thousand years or so – were once thriving, populous pueblos spread over a large area of what is now northwest New Mexico. Today they lie in ruins, their walls tumbled down, their plazas and courtyards deserted, their fields once green with corn, beans, and squash are now covered with wind-blown sand, bushes and weeds.

Our ancestors, however, who once lived and thrived in these settlements are still among the ruins as spirits – and among us to bring blessings, rain, prosperity, long life, harmony, and peace when we have our religious ceremonies.

The Pueblo of Zuni considers archaeological sites to be an important part of the cultural heritage of the Zuni people, and it has passed a tribal antiquities ordinance to protect them. This tribal law makes it a criminal offense punishable by fines and imprisonment to knowingly excavate, remove, destroy, or desecrate artifacts, archaeological sites, and places of sacred importance on the reservation.

Collecting pottery shards, whole pots, and other artifacts is cultural vandalism for it rips these items from their meaningful context. Do not pot-hunt on the Zuni Indian reservation because it is illegal and culturally destructive.

Please do your part to help us preserve our cultural heritage.