Banco Bonito

Remnants of a Pueblo-era fieldhouse at Banco Bonito.

NPS

According to oral tradition, shortly after the Hemish people migrated to the Jemez Mountains (around 1100 C.E.), they established high altitude farming for corn, beans, and squash in the microclimates of Banco Bonito. To this day, this is the site of the highest elevation field houses ever discovered at approximately 8,000 feet. While archaeologists and visitors are amazed at this success, Chris Toya - Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Pueblo of Jemez - emphasizes that careful knowledge and stewardship enabled Hemish farming here and that the Hemish people are still proud farmers today.