Gran Quivira: A Blending of Cultures in a Pueblo Indian Village (Teaching with Historic Places)

Gran Quivira Unit, Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument

At first, one encounters a soothing silence broken only by a constant breeze and the chirr of insect wings. Sparse desert flora partially hides the remains of ancient stone houses built by early American Indians who inhabited this area of central New Mexico. Farther along the trail an excavated mound reveals the broken foundations of a large apartment house and several ceremonial kivas typical of the southwest Pueblo Indian culture. Nearby, the ruins of two mission churches attest to the presence of Spanish priests in this isolated region. The quiet remnants of the village of Las Humanas, now called Gran Quivira, only hint at the vibrant society that thrived here until the late 17th century. Today it is one of three sites that make up Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. Use this lesson plan to lean about this Pueblo Indian Village. (Click on the image for the full lesson plan.)

Essential Question

Examine the changing lifeways of the inhabitants of this village from the 7th century to the arrival of the Spanish in the early 17th century.

Objective

1. To understand the daily life of the Pueblo Indians of Gran Quivira;
2. To describe how the village of Gran Quivira changed with the influence of the Anasazi, the Plains Indians, and other Pueblo Indians;
3. To explain the influence of Spanish missionaries on the lives and culture of the people of Gran Quivira;
4. To compare the life ways of the people who lived at Gran Quivira with the experiences of early American Indian groups of their own region.

Background

Time Period: 7th century to 17th century
Topics: The lesson could be used in U.S. history, social studies, and geography courses in units on early American Indian culture or the colonial presence of the Spanish in the Southwest.

Grade level

Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade

Subject

Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies

Lesson Duration

90 Minutes

Common Core Standards

6-8.RH.2, 6-8.RH.3, 6-8.RH.4, 6-8.RH.5, 6-8.RH.6, 6-8.RH.7, 6-8.RH.8, 6-8.RH.9, 6-8.RH.10, 9-10.RH.1, 9-10.RH.2, 9-10.RH.3, 9-10.RH.4, 9-10.RH.5, 9-10.RH.6, 9-10.RH.7, 9-10.RH.8, 9-10.RH.9, 9-10.RH.10