Hearing the term "Sky City" one might immediately think they were reading the beginning of some exotic science fiction adventure. But there is such a place, it's not fiction and, in fact, it's the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America.

The Acoma Pueblo is located in northwest New Mexico, about 60 miles west of Albuquerque via Interstate 40. There are a total of 19 Pueblos in New Mexico and one more in Arizona. Unlike many of the Native American tribes, the Pueblo dwellers were never relocated from other parts of the country. Their ancestors were believed to have originally settled to the north in Mesa Verde in what is now southwestern Colorado. For reasons still not known, they abandoned their homes in Mesa Verde and, later, Chaco Canyon, and they migrated south and east to their present locations in New Mexico where they have been living in established agricultural communities since the 1200's.

The Acoma Pueblo is atop a 70 acre mesa, 367 feet above the desert floor. Of the 6,000 Acoma who are registered with the tribe, 4,200 are living in the area and are divided among 13 basic clans or extended family groups. Thirteen adults, and their 17 children currently reside on the mesa guarding the sanctity of the hallowed ground.

When Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 1500's and established the San Esteban del Rey Mission in 1629, the Acoma adapted their ancient rituals to the demands of the Catholic church and, while still maintaining the church on the mesa, have also incorporated their nature oriented practices with those of the church to make a unique religious format. The cemetery adjacent to the church holds the remains of tribal elders as well as those of members who served in the U. S. military. Both the Mission and the Pueblo have been designated as National Historic Landmarks.

Visitors can only reach the mesa via tour busses operated by Acomans along a single narrow road. The older visitors center was destroyed by fire and has been replaced by a new, 41,000 sq. ft., $15 million visitors and community center called The Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum. The center contains a museum which is currently displaying examples of some of the best Acoma pottery and weavings, a restaurant, gift shop and a number of meeting rooms and offices which are used by tribal members for classes and other events. The new center, which opened in May of 2006, is one result of a carefully organized economic program to benefit the tribal members. Even today, religious leaders and their families make their homes on the top of the mesa and children are bussed to schools. They live in primitive adobe brick dwellings. The tribal Kiva, or meeting house, is reserved for male members. However, the social structure of Acoma, as it is with all Pueblos, is matriarchal. Property is passed down to the youngest daughter in the family though economic decisions are made by a number of committees made up exclusively of men. Economic advantages are given to the women of the Pueblo but the decision making and religious practices are exclusively the province of the male members.

As a result of treaty arrangements with the United States and with land grants going back to the time of Spanish control, the Acoma exercise a sovereign interest over about 400,000 acres of land. The principal income producing venue is the Sky City Casino and Hotel located off the I-40 interchange 102. The tribe owns a large truck stop, a favorite with Interstate truckers who want to spend a little down time in the Sky City Casino. They also operate gas stations along the stretch of highway that splices through their tribal land and at least one McDonald's franchise.

There are committees who supervise the ranching business of the Acoma which has cattle and sheep grazing land. Another committee oversees the granting of tags for the hunting of elk on the Pueblo's land. On this multi-square mile area, the largest male elk in North America are to be found. Every year, big game hunts are organized for trophy hunters. The meat from animals that are killed during these hunts is kept by the hunters or donated to local organizations. A trophy hunting tag costs $16,500 and is not for the faint of heart. The purpose of organizing the hunt is to thin the heard so it can thrive on the sometimes sparse feeding grounds which represent the elk's habitat.

We spoke at length with Marvis Aragon who is a former Lieutenant Governor of the Acoma and who currently serves as CEO of Acoma Business Enterprises (ABE) the controlling entity which oversees all of its business activities. We asked how the profits from these various enterprises are distributed.

Control over the distribution of funds is exercised by the committee appointed by the tribal council. He explained that any youngster who expresses an interest in continuing education after graduating from high school receives full tuition, room and board as well as monetary support for college. There are no stipulations, though it is hoped that members of the tribe who receive these benefits will return to the Pueblo to help other members in whatever field of study the students have undertaken.

Other profits from ABE are used to improve the infrastructure of the Pueblo, to assist in creating housing for elderly members and other communal purposes. None of the money is distributed on a per person basis and there seems to be a high degree of satisfaction with this method of applying their income stream.

One of Acoma's contributions to the world is the magnificent pottery which is known to art lovers everywhere. These pots are created by several of the clans who make up the Pueblo and they can be found in museums throughout the country. Many of the craftspeople offer them for sale, some on the mesa, others in shops and galleries throughout the region. Several of the Acoma pots are on display in the new Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Donna Chino is a member of a family which includes one of the matriarchal master potters. At age 48, she has been crafting pots for the past 42 years having learned many of the techniques from her grandmother, Jesse Garcia, including her secret location for the best clay from which to form the pottery. She grinds the clay into a fine powder and adds finely ground shards of broken pottery. Many of the tools she uses were family heirlooms. The pot is smoothed with ground sandstone until it is ready to be fired. Finally, it is painted with dyes and paints made from local plants. The brushes used are equally traditional and consist of the leaves of yucca plants which are chewed until only a few of the delicate inner fibers are left. The art is a family tradition. Donna's brothers, Oliver and William Garcia are also potters as is her daughter.

When you get to Sky City, plan to spend an extra day in their hotel in order to experience some of the other regional attractions. For example, the Bandera Volcanic Crater, is about 10,000 years old. Measuring 1,200 feet across and 800 feet in depth, it's an awesome example of nature's power. From the crater you are able to take a short walk to the Ice Caves which have been used by NASA to test space equipment since they maintain a constant 31 degree temperature. They used the caves to anticipate the geology of Mars. Traveling through the lava fields of what's called the Malpais National Monument, one wonders at the stark landscape. The area was named by one of the Spanish explorers who found that the lava stone was too rough for horses hooves and named it Malpais ‹badlands ‹ to warn later visitors to avoid the region.

Only 12 miles from the Bandera Crater and Ice Caves is El Moro National Monument. Holding an ample supply of water in the otherwise parched desert, explorers discovered that they could carve messages on the soft sandstone walls. Many of these messages recite the history of the area. Finally, on your runout trips from Sky City, you can visit Grants, New Mexico which was the seat of the uranium mining boom of the 1950's. A well equipped museum holds many of the artifacts of that period and the basement is configured to resemble a working uranium mine. It's well worth the few miles along Interstate and historic U.S. 66 to get to Grants and see the early phases of uranium research and development.

Sky City offers everyone an opportunity to learn about an ancient culture and how it has survived the intrusions of the 21st Century. The Acoma welcome your visit and want to show you their ancient ways and how they have been adapted to the present. And the magnificent pottery makes for wonderful souvenirs of your visit.

For more information contact Sky City Cultural Center and Pueblo of Acoma www.SkyCity.com or call 1-888-759-2489.