Ancestral Sites Tour - City Slightly & Strong

The story of Pecos is one of change and of a people flexible enough to meet this change, preserve traditions, and survive for centuries in this mountain valley. On this ridge are the buried houses of the main characters of this story—the Pecos people. The name Pecos is derived from the Native Towa word P’ǽækilâ, which means “the Place above the water.” 

In its heyday, Pecos was a thriving village of perhaps 2,000 people. Plains Apache and Navajo traded and pitched their tipis in the fields and forests in front of you. It was also home to a military power proud of its ability to subdue other pueblos at will. 

In the fall of 1540, the pueblo welcomed a Spanish expedition with the music of drums and bird bone flutes. Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s expedition arrived at Pecos Pueblo in search of Quivira, a rumored settlement on the plains with precious metals. The Spaniards also said their king wished for the Pecos people to be his subjects and know the Christian god. The Pecos’ lives changed forever.