Pueblo Indian

Member of any of a group of about 25 American Indian peoples living in Arizona and New Mexico, including the Zuni and the Hopi. Descendants of the prehistoric Anasazi peoples, they speak a variety of languages belonging to different families but share similar cultures. The Pueblo peoples are primarily farmers, with maize being the staple crop. They live in permanent villages, known as pueblos, that consist of stone houses in the open country, and flat-topped adobe (sun-dried brick) structures arranged in terraces on cliffs. They are known for their basketry, textiles, and black-on-white decorated pottery. They number about 53,000 (1990).

Each pueblo was originally governed by a council of religious leaders and was politically autonomous; the community itself was divided into clans. The Spanish, however, introduced a democratic form of government whereby village heads were elected yearly. Generally peaceful, the various Pueblo Indians rose up against the Spanish under a Tewa chief named Popé. They were the only American Indian people to ever successfully defeat the Spanish, driving them out of their territory for over a decade.