Santa Fe Travel Forum

Hi there,

I've been living in Santa Fe for 2 years now (I'm originally from Scotland), but I've only been to one Native American dance (down at Cochiti pueblo). My parents are coming to visit me in May and I understand that there are two dances on May 3rd :-)

(1) Santa Cruz Feast Day and Corn Dance at Cochiti Pueblo
(2) Blessing of the Fields and Corn Dance at Taos Pueblo.

My dad is absolutely crazy about the Southwest, the whole "Cowboys and Indians" thing, Route 66, etc. He wanted to be a cowboy when he was a boy. ANYWAY...

Does anyone know what these two dance are like? I could take them to both, but that would just be too long a day, so what would you think would be more appealing to the tourist? I want them to see dancing, big Chief's featther... "hat", etc. What is the bigger event? What is the nicest looking pueblo? What draws more visitors?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

- Best regards,
Lee

Thanks,
Lee

If you haven't been to Taos, I'd suggest this would be a good visit. It has a very picturesque pueblo...multistoried. Plus you could see the sights at Taos which has many art galleries and a nice plaza. The Rio Grande gorge bridge has pretty spectacular view, about 900 feet above the river.

Of course, Cochiti is much closer to Santa Fe so would take less time. If you go to Cochiti, there is a good scenic hike at nearby Tent Rocks park...worthwhile as a visit in itself.

Don't expect to see head dresses and feathers like in the Hollywood movies. The pueblo indians have a diferent sort of dress.

The dances I have seen have been circle dances with the audience watching from the outside. They can last for hours. There are usually booths with items for sale.

Happy trails!

I'd agree that Toas Pueblo would be a great place for them to see, but I'm not sure that they will have ceremonial dances this month. I think that they just had there Santa Cruz Dance also. Take a look at there WebSite:

http://www.taospueblo.com/calendar.php

Enjoy.

You should definitely take them to Taos. I remember being personally a bit disappointed when I saw a dance there, because some the of the dancing men were earing jeans... It did not seem 100% authentic to me, but then what do you expect, with a whole bunch of tourists always watching... But it's worth seeing. I was there with a Dutch friend and he really liked it, he was very attentive through the whole dance (normally, he isn't :). If your dad is so crazy about cowboys-indians (does he read Carl May?), he's gonna love it. Taos, the town, has a nice plaza to visit.
Cheers.
Kate