Sant Fe trip: Day 1

Monday 8-02-04 Jemez Pueblo- Corn Dance Festival
The Jemez Pueblo is located in a remote place surrounded by mountains. The site is dusty, rustic and fascinating. Being there felt like a completely different country. The urban form of the pueblo felt very organic. At the center of the pueblo is a plaza, kiva and a church.
After we arrived we headed towards the plaza. On a main street next to the plaza the Jemez gathered, dressed in traditional costume. They paraded through the streets towards the plaza to begin their ceremonial dance which went on for most of the afternoon. A group of men remained in the street for awhile, chanting. There were also two Jemez dressed in outfits, one a horse, the other a kind of bull (?). Together with a group of men they traveled from house to house, store to store where some kind of exchange would take place. They would throw sand or grain on the horse and in return the men would hand the person a photocopied dollar bill. Sometimes the homeowner would have a small child that they would life onto the horse or bull and then everyone would cheer. On one occasion the child was to afraid to climb on the animal so the mother just took his hand and touched the animal instead, as if the touch was some sort of blessing. It’s strange to attend something like this and not have any idea what’s going on. There was no tour guide, no brochure explaining anything. All we could do as non-Jemez was to observe and enjoy from outside the box. Despite all the other tourists that were there, I felt like I was intruding. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Their spiritualism seemed so alive. There was no historical performance feel. It was there, happening with meaning and intention.