Pecos Pueblo — Forked Lightning Trading Post Cicuye
Pueblo III to Historic (1150–1838 CE) — gateway pueblo at plains-pueblo interface·Towa Pueblo (Cicuye) / Plains-Pueblo trade·🇺🇸 New Mexico, San Miguel County, Pecos National Historical Park, Upper Pecos Valley, Sangre de Cristos foot, United States
National Park Service Digital Image Archives · Public domain
About
About Pecos Pueblo — Forked Lightning Trading Post Cicuye
Pecos excavated by Kidder 1915–29, birthplace of Pueblo stratigraphy, 700 rooms 1300–1838 then abandoned to Jemez. Recorded context — Period: Pueblo III to Historic (1150–1838 CE) — gateway pueblo at plains-pueblo interface; Culture: Towa Pueblo (Cicuye) / Plains-Pueblo trade; Field status: excavated; Materials: adobe, sandstone, timber beam; Condition: preserved — NPS.
Why it mattersKey Towa Pueblo (Cicuye) / Plains-Pueblo trade ancient-village with stratified sequence and regional typology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Trade network extent
- 02Astronomical alignment
Theories
- 01Seasonal gathering
- 02Elite residence
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1150 CE Forked Lightning; Pecos 1300 CE 700 rooms 4-storey
- Period
- Pueblo III to Historic (1150–1838 CE) — gateway pueblo at plains-pueblo interface
- Culture
- Towa Pueblo (Cicuye) / Plains-Pueblo trade
- Purpose
- 700-room terraced pueblo (4-storey) at Sangre de Cristo gateway — plains-pueblo trade (bison hides ↔ pots, mission San Antonio 1018)
- Rediscovered
- Modern excavation 1980
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 1200 BCE major extension
Major expansion / refurbishment at Pecos Pueblo — Forked Lightning Trading Post Cicuye
c. 1150 CE Forked Lightning; Pecos 1300 CE 700 rooms 4-storey
Initial construction / first occupation at Pecos Pueblo — Forked Lightning Trading Post Cicuye
On the ground
Structures & features
35.5520° N · 105.6850° W · 2110 m · 3 mapped features
- Pecos Pueblo — Forked Lightning Trading Post Cicuye — Principal Structurestructurestructure at Pecos Pueblo — Forked Lightning Trading Post Cicuye — outlier feature35.5530° N · 105.6847° W
- Pecos Pueblo — Forked Lightning Trading Post Cicuye — Complex Annex 2complexcomplex at Pecos Pueblo — Forked Lightning Trading Post Cicuye — outlier feature35.5532° N · 105.6857° W
- Pecos Pueblo — Forked Lightning Trading Post Cicuye — Southern Rock Artrock artrock art at Pecos Pueblo — Forked Lightning Trading Post Cicuye — hydraulic feature35.5535° N · 105.6836° W
Gallery