11/27/2024
Good morning from Coronado Historic Site at Kuaua Pueblo! One topic we like to discuss with our visitors is that of pre-contact trade. Many of the items found by archaeologists here at Kuaua, and at other nearby sites, were not locally sourced. In that case, where did they come from?
Although not all-encompassing, the attached map (showing most of the modern state of New Mexico) highlights some of the sources of major goods that made their way into and out of Kuaua. Even within the Pueblo World, things like obsidian, turquoise, salt, and bison hides would have been much more accessible to pueblos near the Jemez Mountains, Cerrillos Hills, Estancia Basin, and Great Plains, respectively. Pueblos in the Middle Rio Grande Valley, like Kuaua, had a favorable location and climate for agriculture which allowed them to grow surplus crops and dedicate time to producing high-quality pottery that they could then trade. Other items, like shells and macaws, were collected by far-away communities and transported over long distances. Exchanges like these speak to the vast trade networks that have existed across the Americas over centuries of human history.
