Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A Acoma (áh-ko-mah). “People of the White Rock”; Keres-speaking village of the western group occupied since prehistoric times. adobe (a-dóugh-bay). Thick mud with high clay content; also a sun-baked brick made of clay. Alameda (alah-máy-dah). “Cottonwood Grove”; Spanish-American village. Albuquerque (al-bu-kér-keh). Largest city in New Mexico; named after the Duke of Alburquerque, Viceroy of Mexico. Antonio de Espejo (day es-páy-ho). Leader of the third Spanish expedition into New Mexico in 1583. arroyo (ah-ró-yo). Water course or channel seasonally dry. awanyu (uh-wan-you). “Plumbed or feathered serpent”; mythological guardian of springs.
B Bandelier (ban-duh-leér). Author of The Delight Makers; student, archæologist, historian and linguist who spent much time among the Keres. Bandelier lived at the pueblo of Cochiti and was very popular among the Indians. Bernalillo (bear-nah-lée-yoh). Apparently a diminutive of Bernal; founded by Vargas in 1695; present-day Spanish-American village. bigotes (bee-gó-tes). “Whiskers.” buckskin. The tanned hide of a deer.
C canyon. A deep valley with high steep slopes. Canyon del Alamo (del á-lah-mo). “Cottonwood Canyon.” Cachiti (ká-chee-tee). Keres-speaking village of the sixteenth century; of obscure etymology. Cañada de Cochiti (ka-nyá-da day kó-cha-tee). “Cochiti Canyon.” Cañada refers to a shallow and wide canyon. Capulín (ka-poo-léen). “Chokecherry.” Chokecherry Canyon. Chaco (chá-ko). A canyon in northwestern New Mexico. Chaco Canyon National Monument. cibola (sée-bo-lah). “Buffalo.” Cochiti. Spanish for Cachiti. cacique (ka-cee-ke). Chief religious officer in a pueblo. There are usually two town chiefs in each pueblo representing two separate moities either Turquoise or Squash. Coronado (koro-náh-tho). Leader of the first Spanish expedition into New Mexico in 1540. cronies. Old people; friends; chums. Cuapa (coo-áh-pa). Prehistoric village of the Keres-speaking people; meaning unknown.
D diesmo (diéz-mo). “Ten percent”; tithe; refers to present-day Water Canyon. Don Diego de Vargas (don deeáy-go day vár-gas). Leader of the reconquest of New Mexico in 1693 after the Pueblo Rebellion of 1680. Don Juan de Oñate (hwan day o-yná-te). Leader of the colonizing expedition into New Mexico in 1598. Don Pedro de Peralta (páy-dro day pe-rál-tah). Successor to Oñate as Governor of New Mexico in 1610.
E El Rito de Los Frijoles (el ree-toe day los free-hó-lays). “The little river of the beans”; bean creek.
F Franciscans (fran-cis-cans). Religious order established by Saint Francis of Assisi. Francisco Sanchez Chamuscado (fran-cées-co sán-chess chamoos-cáh-tho). Leader of the second Spanish expedition into New Mexico in 1581. friar (fryer). Member of a male religious order.
H Haatze (ha-áht-say). “Earth”; “World”; a ruin of the Keres southwest of Tyuonyi. Hanat Cochiti (há-not kó-cha-tee). “Cochiti Above”; Potrero Viejo. Hemes (háy-mess). Indian pueblo thirty odd miles west of Bandelier National Monument. Hernando de Alvarado (er-nán-do day al-var-áh-tho). Captain under Coronado during the expedition of 1540.
I Isleta (ees-láy-tah). “Little Island”; modern Indian village located about thirteen miles south of Albuquerque on the banks of the Rio Grande.
J Jemez (háy-mess). Spanish for Hemes.
K katsina (cot-sée-nah). Supernatural being. Keres (care-es). Language spoken by the people at Cochiti, Santo Domingo, San Felipe, Santa Ana and Sia; there are also the western Keres villages of Acoma and (historic) Laguna not included here. kiva (key-vah). Ceremonial chamber; men’s club house. Kotyiti (cóat-yi-tee). Of obscure etymology; Old Cochiti; Hanat Cochiti; Potrero Viejo.
L La Bajada (lah bah-háh-tha). “The steep slope”; a hill between Albuquerque and Santa Fe was given this name. La Cueva Pintada (lah cuáy-vah peen-táh-tha). “The Painted Cave”; located southwest of Tyuonyi in Capulin Canyon. Los Confiados (los cone-feeáh-thos). “The Trusting Souls” (people); a mythical town near Cochiti named by the Spanish in 1583.
M mano (máh-no). “Hand”; hand-piece of flat stone for grinding corn. manta (mán-ta). “Dress”; “Blanket.” Marcos de Nisa (már-kos day née-sah). A Franciscan friar. mesa (máy-sah). Flat-topped high hill or table land. Mesa Verde (vér-they). “Green”; now a National Park in southwestern Colorado. Mesita Huerfano (may-sée-tah weár-fa-no). “Orphan Mesa”; Black Mesa. metate (may-táh-tay). Flat stone for grinding corn. Base stone. moccasins. Heel-less shoe of soft leather worn by Indians, moiety. A division of a tribe in which the cacique, either Summer or Winter, has charge of the ceremonials during his respective season.
N Navaho (náh-vah-ho). Semi-nomadic Indians living west of the pueblo area. Navawi (náh-vah-wee). “Place of a hunting trap”; “pit-fall gap”; ruined pueblo northeast of Tyuonyi. neolithic (nee-o-lith-ik). New stone age.
O olla (ó-yah). Pottery jar for water. Otermin (o-ter-méen). Governor of New Mexico at the outbreak of the Pueblo Rebellion of 1680.
P padre (páh-dray). Monk or priest. Pajarito (pah-ha-rée-toe). “Little Bird”; Pajarito Plateau. Pecos (pay-kos). “Place down where the stone is on top”; Indian village east of the Rio Grande. Perage (pear-áh-gay). “Small rodent which jumps like a kangaroo”; “place of a species of kangaroo rat”; a ruined pueblo across the Rio Grande from San Ildefonso. pinto (peen-toe). A type of bean grown by Indians in prehistoric times. piñon (pee-ynón). Edible seed of pine; pinus edulis. plaza (pláh-sah). “Inner court”; area in the center of a town for public gathering. potrero (po-tré-roh). High, narrow mesa-top between canyons. Potsui’i (póte-su-wee-ee). “Gap where the water sinks”; prehistoric pueblo northeast of Tyuonyi. Pohoge (po-hó-gay). “Where the water cuts down through”; Tewa name for San Ildefonso. prehistoric. Referring to times before the Coronado expedition of 1540. pueblo (pwé-blo). “Village”; “Town.” Puwige (poo-wí-gay). “Where the bottoms of the pottery vessels are wiped or smoothed thin”; ruined pueblo on the floor of Frijoles Canyon; the big community house. Sometimes called Tyuonyi.
Q Quirex (keer-esh). Province of five Keresan villages on the Rio Grande in 1540.
R ramada (rah-máh-tha). Open flat-roofed porch built of poles and brush; a shelter. Ramon Vigil Grant (rah-móan vee-híll). Huge tract of land north of Frijoles Canyon. Rio Chama (ree-oh chá-mah). “Chama River.” Rio Grande (ree-oh grán-day). “Big River.”
S Sandia (san-déea). “Watermelon”; also a modern Tiwa-speaking Indian pueblo twelve miles north of Albuquerque occupied since prehistoric times. Sangre de Cristo (sán-gray day crées-to). “Blood of Christ”; refers to a mountain range rising to great heights. San Felipe (san fay-leé-pay). “Saint Phillip”; modern pueblo of the Keres group occupied since prehistoric times. San Gabriel (san gah-breeáyl). First capital of New Mexico; in the vicinity of San Juan Pueblo. San Ildefonso (san ill-day-fáhn-so). Modern Indian village speaking the Tewa language; twenty miles northwest of Santa Fe on the banks of the Rio Grande. San Juan (san hwán). Modern Indian village speaking the Tewa language; about thirty miles northwest of Santa Fe. Not to be mistaken for the San Juan area in northwestern New Mexico. Sankawi (sáng-ka-wee). “Gap of the sharp round cactus”; “place of the round cactus”; prehistoric pueblo northeast of Tyuonyi. Santa Ana (sán-tah ana). Modern Indian village speaking the Keres language. Santo Domingo (sánto do-míng-go). Modern Indian village speaking the Keres language. Shipapolima (she-pa-po-lee-ma). Place where the Zuñi people entered this world; spiritual entrance to the underworld. Sia (see-a). Modern Indian village speaking the Keres language; occupied since prehistoric times. Sipapu (see-pa-poo). Spiritual entrance to the underworld of certain Pueblo Indians; an opening is generally found in the kiva floor and is called Sipapu; similar to Shipapolima.
T talus (tay-lus). A slope formed at the base of a cliff by material falling from above. Tanos (táh-nos). Applied to various groups of people who inhabited the country east of the Rio Grande south of the San Ildefonso-Tesuque Tewa region. Tewa (tay-wa). Language spoken by certain Pueblo Indians; they are: San Ildefonso, Nambe, Tesuque, Santa Clara and San Juan. tewatu (tay-wa-too). “Tewa beans”; pinto beans. Tiguex (tee-wesh). Province of prehistoric Indian villages on the banks of the Rio Grande between Bernalillo and Albuquerque, a distance of about seventeen miles. Tiwa (tee-wa). Language spoken by certain groups of Indians; Taos, Picuris, Sandia and Isleta. Towa (toe-wa). Language spoken by Jemez Indians and by those of Pecos before its abandonment in 1837. Tshirege (ser-i-gay). “House of the Bird People”; prehistoric pueblo northeast of Tyuonyi. Tyuonyi (q’own-yee). A word having a signification akin to that of treaty or contract; Frijoles Canyon, Hidden Valley.
V viejo (veeáy-ho). “Old”; old man. viga (vee-gah). “Roof beam.”
Y Yapashi (yap-a-she). “Sacred Enclosure”; name of pueblo ruin south of Tyuonyi. yucca (yuc-cuh). Plant with long spiked leaves; commonly known as Spanish bayonet. Yuqueyunque (you-gay-o-wíng-gay). Of obscure etymology; “down at the mocking bird place”; province visited by the Spanish in 1540.
Z Zuñi (zoo-nee). Indian Pueblo of western New Mexico; only survivor of the Seven Cities of Cibola. Zuñian (zoo-nee-un). Linguistic stock of Zuñi Indians.