Village of the Strong People

San Juan Pueblo-Ohkay Owingeh,  means “Village of the Strong People”. The language spoken by the San Juan Pueblo is Tewa. The first contact they had with the Spanish was in 1598, when Juan de Onate arrived on a survey exploration. The Spanish were impressed by the friendly people of the San Juan Pueblo. Onate named the pueblo San Juan de Caballeros (Saint John of the Gentlemen). The pueblo is located 30 miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico it has been continuously inhabited for over 700 years. There are more than 100 of its original buildings that still survive (Gibson, Daniel, 2001).

Famous potters for Ohkay Owingeh are Leonidas C. Tapia, Reyecita A. Trujillo, and Rosita Cata.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gibson, Daniel. Pueblo of the Rio Grande:  A Visitors Guide. Tucson, AZ: Rio Nuevo Publishers. 2001.