Acoma - Pueblo Architectures

Acoma

By: Curtis Cook

Pueblo architectures helped build kivas and Pueblo houses. They built houses which were 3 to 5 level houses. On the first level they would have no windows or doors it would be for storing food and they would cook food on the outside. The second level was for sleeping and on the outside they would weave blankets. The third level was also for sleeping on the roof they would dry food out so they could preserve the food for a longer time.

There religion was based on kachinas, gods, spirits, nature, and kivas. The Kachinas were chosen during ceremonies to dance. There gods and spirits are the sun and the moon. Their gods are the natural elements which are thunder, rain, animals, moon, wind, clouds, and ancestors. They would go down into the kivas to burn sage in the sipapu ,which then they would talk to their ancestors. When they go down there they go to the sipapu which is a square where they think their ancestors came from.

When they would garden ,the men would dilled ,then the men and women would harvest the food that they grew. The main things that they would grow was corn, beans, and squash which was also known as The Three Sisters because the the corn would create a pole for the beans that would wrap themselves around the corn so it can keep the corn sturdy and protect it from the wind they would also take the nitrogen from the air and converts it to help the fertility of the soil and the squash helps protect the soil from weeds growing and from predators such as raccoons who love to feed on corn . When they dug the irrigation ditches ,they would dig them from the Rio Grande ,and bring the water all the way to the crops. When they did crop rotation they would leave one space open. Then they would next year move the hole forwards and then they would move the crops in a circle but they would leave one open spot every time.

For food they would have a garden that looked like a waffle shape which was known as the waffle garden so when it rained the rain would stay in the square for a longer period of time. When the sun came up it took longer to dry up ,then in a flat line where it dries up faster. Men and boys would hunt deer, antelope, and, bison. They would turn deer meat into jerky and  trade the jerky for bison meat. They would also trap rabbits for their meat and turn it into jerky as well. They would also fish by grabbing a spear a tried to catch a fish by throwing the spear at the fish. They would dry vegetables to preserve them for when they might have a drought, they would also dry the meat to preserve the meat for a drought too. They would