New Jemez Tribal Elders Program launches this summer

(JEMEZ, NM-MAY 20, 2014)-This summer Jemez Historic Site inaugurates its new Elder in Residence Program. From June 4 to July 13, Jemez Tribal Elders will be on site to offer a Native American voice in the interpretation and preservation of Jemez Historic Site. The tribal elders will provide tours and share stories and personal feelings about the site and their culture with the visiting public. A new elder will be on site for each of the six weeks of the program. So make a point to come back each week and hear a new story from a new voice. Tours will be held daily at 10 AM and 2 PM and are free with the price of admission to the site.

There are many different ways to tell stories about our past. Historians sift through antiquated texts memorizing obscure dates, while archaeologists analyze pot sherds and flaked stone to address questions as old as time itself. Often lost in both of these approaches is the human element, those personal stories which connect us to those who came before and continue to live among us. This new program invites the artists and cultural leaders of Jemez to spark new conversations with visitors to Jemez.

Matthew J. Barbour, Manager of Jemez Historic Site says, "The people who once dwelled at Jemez Historic Site still walk among us. They are the Hemish, or people, of Jemez Pueblo. The Elders in Residence Program exists to foster a dialogue between the tribe, the public, and the staff of this nationally recognized historic site."

           Elder in Residence Schedule:

            June 4-8: Jemez Language Specialist/Artist, Maxine Toya

            June 11-15: Senior Olympics Swimmer, Robert Shendo

            June 18-22: Musician and Performer, Lawrence Toya

            June 25-29: Potter, Andrea Fragua

            July 2-6: Traditional Culture Expert/Artist, Leonard Shendo

            July 9-13: Child Educator, Marie Bacca

Then on Sunday August 10, join Jemez Historic Site for its 11th Annual Pueblo Independence Day Celebration. Enjoy traditional Jemez song and dance, while exploring Jemez Historic Site. Pueblo food and art will also be available for purchase during this day-long event.

All year round, Jemez Historic Site offers visitors a chance to experience New Mexico culture and history first-hand. Established to preserve the fourteenth-century ruins of Giusewa Pueblo and the seventeenth-century ruins of San Jose de los Jemez Mission, the site offers a museum and interpretative trail. Walk among the standing architecture and explore vivid displays. Learn how the Jemez people once lived and how their lives changed as a result of European contact. Examine how the Franciscan Missionaries operated and the challenges they faced in the New World. Understand the importance Jemez Historic Site in shaping the New Mexico of today.

Jemez Historic Site is located at 18160 Highway 4 in Jemez Springs. It is open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Admittance is $3.00 per adult. There is never a charge for children. Jemez Historic Site is free to New Mexico seniors on Wednesday and all New Mexico residents on Sunday. For more information: 575-829-3530 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; http://www.nmhistoricsites.org/.

There are currently seven State Historic Sites open to the public: Coronado in Bernalillo; Jemez near Jemez Springs; El Camino International Heritage Center, south of Socorro; Lincoln and Fort Stanton in Lincoln County; the Bosque Redondo Memorial at Ft. Sumner; and Fort Selden in Radium Springs. The Taylor Barela Reynolds Mesilla facility is held in a living trust.