The Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico ( Western Keres: Kawaika ʰɑwɑjkʰɑ is a

federally recognized tribe A federally recognized tribe is a Native American tribe recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with the US federal government. In the United States, the Native American tribe ...

of Native American

Pueblo people The Pueblo peoples are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Among the currently inhabited Pueblos, Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zuni, and Hopi are some of the ...

in west-central

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, near the city of

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Part of the Laguna territory is included in the

Albuquerque metropolitan area The Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area, sometimes referred to as Tiguex (named after the Southern Tiwa), is a metropolitan area in central New Mexico centered on the city of Albuquerque. The metro comprises four counties: Bernalillo, Sa ...

, chiefly around Laguna's

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

Resort and Casino. The name, ''Laguna'', is

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

(meaning "small lake") and derives from the lake on their reservation. This body of water was formed by an ancient dam that was constructed by the Laguna people. After the Pueblo Revolt of 1680–1696, the Mission San José de la Laguna was erected by the Spanish at the old pueblo (now Old Laguna) and finished around July 4, 1699. 20220722 Laguna Pueblo Mesita from SF to Austin Alaskan Air emi-0768

20220722 Laguna Pueblo Mesita from SF to Austin Alaskan Air emi-0768

Geography

Their reservation lies in parts of four counties: In descending order of included land area they are Cibola,

Sandoval Sandoval is a habitational surname of Spanish language, Spanish origin. It primarily originates from Sandoval de la Reina, Spain, earlier called ''Sannoval'', which is a blend word of Latin ''saltus'' (meaning 'grove' or 'wood') and Latin ''novalis ...

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

and Bernalillo Counties. It includes the six villages of Encinal, Laguna, Mesita, Paguate, Paraje, and Seama. The reservation is west of the city of

. The reservation consists of approximately . The Laguna Pueblo (and the

Acoma Pueblo Acoma Pueblo ( , ) is a Native American pueblo approximately west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. Four communities make up the village of Acoma Pueblo: Sky City (Old Acoma), Acomita, Anzac, and McCartys. These communities ...

) lie in the river basin of the

Rio San Jose The Rio San Jose is a tributary of the Rio Puerco in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Course The Rio San Jose's farthest tributary stream is Bluewater Creek; its headwaters are in the Zuni Mountains, near the continental divide in Cibola Coun ...

. The laguna or lake was historically much larger than the present time and hosted waterfowl of many kinds, including ducks, geese and

swan Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe (biology) ...

s. The Rio San Jose flows into the

Rio Puerco The Rio Puerco is a tributary of the Rio Grande in the U.S. state of New Mexico. From its source on the west side of the Nacimiento Mountains, it flows about ,Calculated in Google Earth generally south to join the Rio Grande about south of ...

near the southeast corner of the Laguna Reservation.

Communities

* Encinal * Laguna *

New Laguna, New Mexico New Laguna is an unincorporated community in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. New Laguna is located along New Mexico State Road 124, west of Laguna. New Laguna has a post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer t ...

* Mesita *

Paguate Paguate is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 421 at the 2010 census. Geography Paguate is located in northeastern Cibola County within the lands of Laguna Pueblo. It is bordered to ...

Paraje Paraje, a Spanish term meaning in English place or spot. Paraje is a term from the original Spanish speaking settlers, in use among English speakers in the southwestern United States, particularly in New Mexico, that refers to a camping place alon ...

* Seama * Casa Blanca, New Mexico

Demographics

On the 2010 census 6,758 people in the U.S. reported being exclusively Laguna and 8,358 people reported being Laguna either exclusively or in combination with another group. The State of New Mexico says the population is 7,700."Laguna Pueblo"
''New Mexico, Land of Enchantment''. New Mexico Tourism Department. Retrieved March 8, 2018.

History

The people of Laguna have a long history of residing in and farming along the Rio San José in west-central New Mexico. Laguna history begins long before the advent of written records in the Southwest. It is a common misconception that the Pueblo of Laguna began in 1699, at the time of the construction of the Mission. However, research of 1,449 archaeological sites and an anthropological analysis of the Laguna oral history have firmly proven that people have inhabited the area ranging from 6500 B.C. to the present. The

and Pueblo of Laguna have many ties, including location, language and a shared high school. The Pueblo of Laguna has a well-established

Tribal Law The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

system. The Pueblo of Laguna has participated as a "Weed and Seed" tribe. This Department of Justice program studied the enforcement of law and effectiveness of social programs on Native American lands. The Irish surname Riley was adopted by many members of the Laguna tribe in the 1800s, for legal use in European-American culture, while they retained their Laguna names for tribal use. File:A general view of the Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, 1879 - NARA - 542443.tif, Laguna Pueblo, 1879 Image:Laguna Baptistry.jpg, Door to

Baptistry In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptist ...

, Laguna Mission, 1934 Image:An-Indian-Pueblo-Laguna-New-Mexico-833x1155.jpg, ''An Indian Pueblo Laguna New Mexico'', by

Thomas Moran Thomas Moran (February 12, 1837 – August 25, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School in New York whose work often featured the Rocky Mountains. Moran and his family, wife Mary Nimmo Moran and daughter Ruth, took ...

Education

Primary and middle school education is provided by the Laguna Department of Education, which also operates Early Childhood program and adult education programs. The

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

is shared with nearby

. Lagunas value intellectual activity and education, so a scholarship program has led to many well-educated Lagunas. Uranium mining on Pueblo of Laguna land has contributed to this scholarship program as well as to skilled labor learning among Laguna members. Lagunas and other Pueblos enjoy baseball. Like many Pueblos, the Laguna people are skilled in

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

Language

Lagunas traditionally speak the Western variety of

Keresan Keres (), also Keresan (), is a Native American language, spoken by the Keres Pueblo people in New Mexico. Depending on the analysis, Keres is considered a small language family or a language isolate with several dialects. If it is considered a ...

. Most Laguna elders do not speak English.

Economy

The Laguna Development Corporation; founded in 1998, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Pueblo of Laguna. Laguna Development is a federally chartered tribal corporation formed under Section 17 of the 1934

Indian Reorganization Act The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...

. The company develops and operates the tribe's retail-based outlets, including two travel centers, a supermarket, a convenience store, an RV park, an arcade, a Superette and three casinos on the Pueblo of Laguna reservation that spans Cibola, Bernalillo,

and

counties. Laguna Construction Company, a construction company owned by the Pueblo of Laguna, was one of the largest U.S. contractors in Iraq, with reconstruction contracts worth more than $300 million since 2004. In addition to its headquarters at the pueblo, Laguna Industries, Inc. maintains offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico; San Antonio and Houston, Texas; Baghdad, Iraq, and Amman, Jordan. In 2007, Laguna Construction employed 75 people, most of whom belong to the pueblo. Several Laguna Pueblo businesses are along tourist and truck route corridors that attract New Mexico tourists, long- and short-haul truck drivers, and residents of nearby

. Other Laguna Development businesses provide basic services to local tribal communities.

Notable people

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

(born 1941), painter and filmmaker *

Deb Haaland Debra Anne Haaland (; born December 2, 1960) is an American politician who served as the 54th United States secretary of the interior from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the U.S. representative for New M ...

, 54th U.S Secretary of the Interior, the first Native American to lead a cabinet-level agency. She was former

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for New Mexico's 1st congressional district (2019–2021), former chair of the

Democratic Party of New Mexico The Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is headquartered in Albuquerque and led by Chair Sara Attleson, Vice Chair Cam Crawford, Secretary Brenda Hoskie, and Treasure ...

(2015–2017), and nominee for lieutenant governor in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

. * Frank Hudson (1875–1950), football player, coach * Michael Kanteena, potter * Lee Marmon, photographer * Josephine Waconda (1935–2013), first Native American commissioned as a rear admiral in the

United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHSCC; also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service) is the uniformed service branch of the United States Public Health Service and one of t ...

Non-enrolled descendants

Paula Gunn Allen Paula Gunn Allen (October 24, 1939 – May 29, 2008) was an American poet, literary critic, activist, professor, and novelist. Of mixed-race European-American, Arab-American, and Native American descent, she identified with her mother's people, ...

(1939–2008), author, novelist, and scholar *

Leslie Marmon Silko Leslie Marmon Silko (born Leslie Marmon; born March 5, 1948) is an American writer. A woman of Laguna Pueblo descent, she is one of the key figures in the First Wave of what literary critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renais ...

, author, educator, and filmmaker

Notes

References

* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. .
Laguna Pueblo and Off-Reservation Trust Land, New Mexico United States Census Bureau
*

External links

Official Pueblo of Laguna websitePueblo of Laguna WebsiteLaguna Public Library
nbsp;– ''historic photographs of Pueblo of Laguna''.
HABS: San Jose de la Laguna Mission Church & Convento gallery
nbsp;– ''historic photos from the federal HABS—Historic American Buildings Survey project''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Laguna Pueblo Pueblo peoples Pueblo great houses Native American tribes in New Mexico Federally recognized tribes in the United States History of Cibola County, New Mexico Native American history of New Mexico Populated places in Bernalillo County, New Mexico Populated places in Cibola County, New Mexico Populated places in Sandoval County, New Mexico Populated places in Valencia County, New Mexico Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico National Register of Historic Places in Cibola County, New Mexico Pueblos on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico