Jemez State Monument
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| Jémez State Monument | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Jemez Springs, New Mexico |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1621 |
| Architect: | Salmeron,Fr. Geronimo Zarate |
| Architectural style(s): | Other |
| Added to NRHP: | March 14, 1973 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 73001147 |
| Governing body: | State |
Located in a setting of remarkable beauty, Jémez (pronounced HAY-mes) preserves ruins of the 700-year-old Giusewa Pueblo, the ancestral home of today's Jemez Pueblo and of the San José de los Jémez church. The Spanish established the fortress-like church in 1621. With its octagon-shaped bell tower, and eight-foot-thick walls in places, it is an impressive structure and considered to be the second oldest church in New Mexico. The visitor center contains interpretive exhibits that tell the story of the site through the words of the Jémez. An interpretive trail runs through the ruins.
If you plan to visit, the monument is located on the north end of Jémez Springs on State Highway 4, 43 miles north of Bernalillo, NM. For more information, call 575-829-3530 or visit www.nmmonuments.org[1]. New Mexico State Monuments are a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, State of New Mexico.
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[edit] History
The history of the Jémez is one of conquest and resistance. In the fall of 1541 the Jémez were contacted by Captain Francisco de Barrionuevo, a member of the Vasquez de Coronado party. He visited about seven Jémez villages, although there were more. Giusewa Pueblo contains several kivas and several plazas. Giusewa would have had 800 to 1000 rooms at its peak, and after the Spaniards came everything drastically changed. The Spaniards forced the Jémez to build them a church and converted them to Catholicism. Ultimately, the Jémez grew tired of being forced to give up their ways of life and helped choreograph the synchronized Pueblo Revolt of 1680, which pushed the Spaniards out of New Mexico.[2]
[edit] An Ongoing Story
Originating from various sources during the past 450 years, accrued information about San José de los Jémez is still incomplete, hazy, confusing, sometimes contradictory and continually changing. Hopefully, improved archaeological methods, traditional stories passed down through generations of Jémez people and future historical research will continue to unfold Giusewa's true past.[3]
[edit] New Mexico State Monuments
History
The New Mexico State Monument system was established on March 14, 1931 by an Act for the Preservation of the Scientific Resources of New Mexico, H.B. No. 124. Section 2 of the Act authorized the Commissioner of the State Land Office, on the recommendation of the Science Commission and with the approval of the Commissioner of Public Lands to "declare by public proclamation that historic and prehistoric structures and other objects of scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the State of New Mexico, shall be state monuments, and may reserve as a part thereof such parcels of land as may be necessary to the proper care and management of the objects to be protected."
In the ensuing years, sixteen monuments were so proclaimed and designated. The first were designated in 1935 and included Pecos, Gran Quivira, Jemez, Coronado, and Quarai. Lincoln was proclaimed in 1937. Paako and Abo were proclaimed in 1938. In 1940, Glorieta Battlefield was designated. Folsom and La Mesilla Plaza followed in the 1950s. Fort Sumner was proclaimed in 1968, followed by Fort Selden, Mimbres and the Dorsey Mansion in the 1970s.
Over the years, five of the monuments were transferred to the National Park Service. These included Pecos, Gran Quivira, Abo, Quarai and Glorieta Battlefield. The Dorsey Mansion was sold to a private party. Five of the monuments have remained inactive for a variety of reasons. These include Folsom, Paako, Mimbres, La Mesilla Plaza, and the Palace of the Governors. The Palace of the Governors has functioned as the state history museum.
Six monuments are active and open to the public. These include Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner, Coronado, El Camino Real International Heritage Center, Fort Selden, Jemez and Lincoln.
In 2004, the historic Barela-Reynolds House and Property in Mesilla, was designated a state monument upon its donation to the state by the John Paul Taylor family. Mr.& Mrs. Taylor will retain a life estate on the property that will not be open to the public until their death. [4]
[edit] Other State Monuments
- Coronado State Monument
- Lincoln [2]
- Fort Selden
- Fort Sumner/Bosque Redondo Memorial
- El Camino Real International Heritage Center
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2008-04-15).
- ^ Pueblo at the Hot Place: The Archaeology of Giusewa Pueblo and San José de los Jémez Mission.Michael L. Elliot. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press, 1993 (out of print)
- ^ The Jémez State Monument Giusewa Trail Guide Penny Gomez, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2005
- ^ http://www.nmmonuments.org/about.php
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