Hawikuh Ruins

Hawikuh
Ruins of Mission La Purísima Concepción de Hawikuh, photo circa 1886
Hawikuh Ruins is located in New Mexico
Hawikuh Ruins
Hawikuh Ruins is located in the United States
Hawikuh Ruins
Nearest cityZuni, New Mexico
Coordinates34°55′56″N 108°59′4.4″W / 34.93222°N 108.984556°W / 34.93222; -108.984556
Area10 acres (4.0 ha)
Built1539 (1539)
Part ofZuni-Cibola Complex (ID74002267)
NRHP reference No.66000502[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NHLOctober 9, 1960[2]
Designated NHLDCPDecember 2, 1974

Hawikuh (also spelled Hawikku, meaning "gum leaves" in Zuni[3]), was one of the largest of the Zuni pueblos at the time of the Spanish entrada. It was founded around 1400 AD.[3] It was the first pueblo to be visited and conquered by Spanish explorers. The Spanish chroniclers referred to it as Cevola, Tzibola, or Cibola.

The pueblo site is located 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Zuni Pueblo, on the Zuni Indian Reservation in Cibola County, New Mexico. In 1960 the site was designated as a National Historic Landmark known as the Hawikuh Ruins. It is included as a contributing part of the Zuni-Cibola Complex of archaeological sites, a larger National Historic Landmark District designated by the United States Department of Interior in 1974.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "National Historic Landmarks Survey, New Mexico" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Lanmon, Dwight P. and Harlow, Francis, "A brief history of the Ashiwi (Zuni) pueblos", in The Pottery of Zuni Pueblo, 2008, Museum of New Mexico Press. ISBN 0-89013-508-8