The Zuni Indians

The Zuni Indians were and are a group of Indians in the southwest area of the United States and Northern Mexico. It seems that they have lived in this area for nearly 4000 years, and maybe more if their ancestry can be traced as they seem to believe to the Mogollon group of Native Americans who grew out of the first prehistoric inhabitants of that area of America. The name Mogollon comes from the Mogollon mountain range named by the first Spanish explorers in the early 1500’s such as Coronado. There is also a good possibility that they may be able to trace their existence to the Anasazi culture from around the same time as the Mogollon peoples as well. Coronado was very impressed with the advancement of Zuni culture and villages so much that he called them “Seven Cities of Cibola” and firmly believed that their streets were paved with gold and jewels. Onate visited their villages in 1598 and discovered that these peoples were quite industrious and had built a culture based on the cultivation of the land. Eventually the Spanish Priests came to the Pueblo and started to set up churches and try to convert the Zuni’s to Catholicism. The Zuni’s practiced the catholic faith in a small way to appease their Spanish superiors, but this did not stop them from carrying on as usual in their own faiths practices and rituals within their own circles in their pueblos. The Zuni did not like Spanish pushing their practices and religion on them and would over time build up such resentment that other actions would have to happen. The Zuni also to this day practice the own unique religion with its schedule of dances and unique to them. Worship and religious festivals are what life centers around in the Zuni culture and could be said to be quite inseparable. The Zuni New Year starts at the winter solstice as with many other pagan holidays and is celebrated with a four day