People of Pecos

Trading activity between Pecos People and Plains Tribes.

NPS Photo /© Louis S. Glanzman

The P’aékish

In the oral traditions of the Pecos People, their ancestors migrated from far to the northwest. When they reached what is now Northern New Mexico, part of the group split off to the east. These people became the P’aékish, or Pecos People. The rest of the people continued west to settle at today’s Jemez Pueblo, 70 miles west of Santa Fe.

The Pecos People were traders and farmers. At multicultural trade fairs, Plains tribes brought slaves, buffalo hides, flint, and shells to trade. Pueblo people from the Rio Grande Pueblos to the west brought pottery, crops, textiles, and turquoise. Some goods, such as macaw feathers and shells, came from far flung places such as Mexico and the Pacific and Gulf Coasts. Pecos People were middlemen (and women), literally, traders and consumers of the goods and ideas of the very different people. They became economically powerful and practiced in the arts and customs of two worlds. They gained skills in diplomacy and languages so that they could communicate across cultures.

As farmers, Pecos People raised corn, beans, and squash. They hunted game such as rabbits and deer and gathered pinon nuts. Their homes contained pottery and tools from all over the Southwest. By the 1100s, people in this valley had come together in multi-storied towns overlooking the streams and fields that nourished their crops. In the 1400s, these groups gathered into Pecos Pueblo, which became a regional power.

As the Pecos People moved through their world, they relied on practical science filled with spirituality. With story and dance, tradition-bearers taught the knowledge and wisdom of centuries past. Their religion bound all things together and held balance, harmony, and fitness as the highest ideals. But ideals did not always prevail. Warfare between Pueblo groups was common. The frontier people of Pecos sometimes fought and sometimes traded with nomadic Plains Tribes.

Neighboring pueblos saw the Pecos as dominant. The invading Spaniards would soon learn that the Pecos could be powerful allies or determined enemies. When the Spanish arrived at Pecos in 1541 (link), the expedition’s scribe noted “2000 inhabitants” and that there was a fighting force 500 men strong.

Descendents of the people who lived at Pecos Pueblo now live at Jemez Pueblo, among other places. Their language, Towa, is widely spoken in the Pueblo and taught to children. They consult with the National Park Service on important park decisions. Members of Jemez Pueblo are also regular visitors at Pecos NHP. One special annual celebration of reconnection happens each summer: Feast Day (scroll down for photos!).

Want to learn more? Visit the Jemez Pueblo website, for insight about the Pecos descendants today. Read about the Pecos Pueblo or the Spanish Friars and Colonists.