Indian Pueblo Cultural Center - Tours & Attractions - Albuquerque, New Mexico



City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (505) 843-7270, (866) 855-7902

Description: Owned and operated by the nineteen Pueblo tribes of New Mexico, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center serves as an excellent introduction to the history, arts, and lives of the state’s native peoples. The handsome building is modeled after Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon and encloses a circular inner plaza where Indian dances are held every weekend. The center underwent a $2 million expansion in 2008. Don’t miss the museum on the lower level with the permanent exhibition “Our Land, Our Culture, Our Story.” This leads you through the history of the Pueblo peoples from long before the arrival of the Europeans through early contact with the Spanish to the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and up to the current day. Pick up the museum’s self-guided tour pamphlet for the story behind the exhibits. A small theater screens short films on San Ildefonso potter Maria Martinez and painter Pablita Velarde of Santa Clara. The museum also houses contemporary arts and crafts from all of the 19 pueblos, showing the distinctive designs and craft traditions of each. Both indoors and outside in the courtyard, large murals by Native artists similarly illustrate varying artistic styles. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center has a collection of over 2,000 artifacts, including pottery, jewelry, textiles, paintings, archeological objects, and photographs. South-wing galleries present changing Native American arts and educational exhibits, curated around various themes. From summer 2009 a new permanent installation shows the Saints of the Pueblos, a collection of 23 retablos by santero Charles Carrillo, representing the patron saints of the nineteen current pueblos and four extinct pueblos and exploring the role of Catholicism in Native history and contemporary life.Native American dances are held every weekend, twice a day on Saturday and Sunday, from the first weekend of April through the last weekend of October. Between June and September there is also a daily dance on Thursday and Friday. From November through March there is one dance a day on Saturday and Sunday. Check with the center for current times. There is also a monthly art demonstration workshop. The Pueblo House is an activity center for children, open for specific sessions only. See the Kidstuff chapter for more information. The gift shop sells authentic handcrafts and arts by Native artisans, including jewelry, pottery, rugs, sculptures, paintings, and kachina dolls. There are also books on history and other subjects written from an Indian perspective, cards, and Native American music. It’s worth dropping in to the Pueblo Harvest Café and Bakery for a cup of Starbucks coffee; a quick snack; or a full breakfast, lunch, or dinner of authentic Native-Fusion cuisine. See the listing in the Restaurants section for more information. Or just pick up some salsa or fresh oven bread to take home. Café hours vary, so call the restaurant at (505) 724-3510 to check opening hours and for reservations. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is open seven days a week.


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