Paving the Way to Today
In New Mexico, Route 66 follows the path of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (the Royal Road of the Inlands), which was designated by the Spanish Crown along the trails established by Ancestral Pueblo people and their neighbors up and down the desert that is now known as New Mexico in the United States and Chihuahua in Mexico. El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro went through dry riverbeds and along the flowing Rio Grande to navigate the desert, following established ancestral Tewa routes. Route 66 winds through 1,372 miles of protected Native land, which is more than half of the total length of the road. According to a 2017 guide produced by the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), the Pueblos of San Felipe, Kewa (formerly Santo Domingo), Santa Ana, Sandia, Isleta, Laguna and Acoma identify their land as traversed by Route 66.
For Indigenous People’s Month, I would like to highlight Native stories around Albuquerque’s Route 66 and beyond. I encourage readers to check out the official websites of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and the Native communities of New Mexico. You can find those at the end of this article.
The pueblos of New Mexico welcome visitors to experience their culture and traditions. There is a recommended etiquette to follow when visiting a pueblo. Remember: these are living communities with private homes and community centers. Please respect the privacy of residents. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center has a detailed etiquette guide here.
From the 1600s to ‘66,’ Pueblo Architecture Stands the Test of Time
Albuquerque sits upon the ancestral territory of the Tiwa-speaking Sandia Pueblo (Tuf Shur Tia, “the Green Reed Place”). You can still drive the old Route 66 alignment through Isleta Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo today. Tours of the historic San Agustín de Isleta Church in Isleta Pueblo, established in 1613, are available by appointment (call 505-869-3398). From 1926 to 1937, Route 66 passed in front of San Agustín Church.
St. Augustine / San Agustín Church in Isleta Pueblo today.
Laguna Pueblo sits west of Albuquerque and is home to the speakers of the Western Keresan Pueblo language. Laguna Pueblo is home to the San José Mission Church, built in 1699. The church is known for its multicolored interior, painted with cosmic Laguna symbols and decorated with elaborately carved woodwork. Like San Agustín, the San José Church stood along historic Route 66. Laguna Pueblo offers daily tours of the church. For more information, call 505-552-9330.
The interior of San José Church in Laguna Pueblo. Photo courtesy of Bruce Welton, Echoes from Eden. http://www.brucewelton.com/2020/01/27/day-trip-san-jose-de-la-laguna-mission-church/
Envisioning Native America on Route 66
Route 66 has a complex history with Native America. Many rural Native communities did not consent to the first federal highway system knocking at their door. Fred Harvey took tourists off the trains and into reservations by automobile on his infamous “Indian Detours.” Over the 20th century, Hollywood representations of Southwestern Native Americans permeated the American cultural psyche and were further emphasized in Route 66 neon caricatures, architecture and memorabilia. However, there was a real curiosity that underscored the fascination with Southwestern aesthetics, which allowed new economic opportunities for the Pueblos and Navajo Nation on their own terms. Craftspeople would set up stands on the roadside to sell their pottery & jewelry.
Three girls from Acoma Pueblo (left to right: Agnes, Ruth and Esther) at a pottery stand in the Pueblo, August 1940, from the Nancy Tucker Photo Collection, PICT 000-885. Photo courtesy of the Center for Southwest Research, Albuquerque, NM.
Maisel's Murals in Downtown Albuquerque
When strolling down Central Avenue in Downtown, you might miss a piece of art history directly above the Route. At 510 Central Ave., there is a small Streamline Moderne storefront with a mural banner along its curved crown. This building was the former site of Maisel’s Indian Trading Post, once a major hub for Native American curios and jewelry, operated by Albuquerque businessman Maurice Maisel. It operated under his grandson, Skip Maisel, until the store’s closure in 2019.
The murals were organized by art instructor Olive Rush, who received the commission. Rush, an artist herself, redirected the commission to her art students at the Santa Fe Indian School, directing each of them to design their own procession image or portrait to represent their respective cultures. The artists behind the Maisel’s mural would become major players in the Native Modern Art movement: Pop Chalee, Pablita Velarde, Harrison Begay, Popovi Da (Tony Martinez), Joe H. Herrera and Awa Tsireh. The result was 17 murals at 3-½ feet tall, all painted in 1939 by Pueblo, Apache and Navajo/Diné artists in their own vision. The style of the paintings, known as flatstyle, was standardized by non-Native art teachers like Rush at the school. However, the scenes depicted and cultural details were determined by each artist.
Architect John Gaw Meem rendered the murals to integrate smoothly into the curved facade, marking the structure as a prototype for Meem’s later Pueblo-Revival structures that would dominate New Mexican architecture. These Modernist buildings drew direct inspiration from Native Pueblo architecture and have come to define the “look” of New Mexico, especially to travelers along Route 66.
Want to learn more? Walk-through tours of the Maisel’s Murals are provided by the Albuquerque Historic Society. Find out more information regarding the next tour at https://www.albuqhistsoc.org/.
Pablita Velarde, Santa Clara Women Selling Pottery. Photo courtesy of Historic Albuquerque.
Awa Tsireh, San Ildefonso Pueblo Corn Dancers. Photo courtesy of Historic Albuquerque.
Pablita Velarde (Santa Clara) working at her home studio in Albuquerque, ca. 1960s. Palace of the Governors Photo Archives (NMHM/DCA) 174201.
Postcard of Maisel’s Indian Trading Post. Photo courtesy of Albuquerque Historical Society.
‘Petrol’glyph: A Different Kind of Procession
In 2024, Albuquerque-based artist Jesse Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa) debuted his custom lowrider Petrolglyph on Central Avenue. The 1973 Dodge Dart Sedan is painted and lacquered with traditional Pueblo designs depicting the New Mexico landscape in traditional geometric motifs. The cruiser is a clear nod to Albuquerque’s own Petroglyph National Monument, emphasizing that Native people continue to thrive in the Duke City. Littlebird displayed Petrolglyph at the Lapis Room Art Gallery in Old Town Albuquerque, Santa Fe Indian Market, and the New Mexico State Fair in 2024.
Nathaniel Paolinelli, Jesse Littlebird driving “Petrolglyph” in front of the Historic KiMo Theatre, August 2024. Source: KUNM.
Also in 2024, a new Nani Chacon (Diné/Chicana) mural went up on the south wall of the forthcoming ARRIVE Hotel Albuquerque, formerly the historic Downtowner Motor Inn. The vibrant cherry-red lowrider graces what was once a mosaic of Southwestern Native motifs. Chacon weaves a traditional blanket design through the image, resulting in a contemporary synthesis of Hispanic and Native culture that share parallel, and often overlapping, histories. These cultures, suggested in Chacon’s mural, make up the diverse fabric of Route 66 in Albuquerque.
Nani Chacon, Untitled [Lowrider with Prickly Pears], ARRIVE Hotel Albuquerque, 717 Central Ave, September 2024. Source: Visit Albuquerque.
Further reading for your visit:
AIANTA, American Indians on Route 66, https://www.aianta.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/American_Indians_Route66.pdf
Pueblo of Sandia Official Website: https://www.sandiapueblo.nsn.us/
Isleta Pueblo Official Website: https://www.isletapueblo.com/
Laguna Pueblo Official Website: https://www.lagunapueblo-nsn.gov/
Acoma Pueblo Official Website: https://www.puebloofacoma.org/
Santo Domingo Pueblo (Kewa) Official Website: https://santodomingopueblo.com/
Official Website of the Navajo Nation: https://www.navajo-nsn.gov/
National Parks Service (NPS), De Anza Motor Lodge: https://www.nps.gov/places/de-anza-motor-lodge.htm
National Parks Service (NPS), Santo Domingo Trading Post Article: https://www.nps.gov/places/santo-domingo-trading-post.htm
Interview with Jessie Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa), by Jeanette DiDios (Jicarilla Apache/Diné), 89.9 KUNM: https://www.kunm.org/local-news/2024-08-15/painted-car
