Native America Calling: Contemporary Pueblo architects reclaim ancestral knowledge

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Native America Calling: Contemporary Pueblo architects reclaim ancestral knowledge

Friday, April 11, 2025

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Contemporary Pueblo architects reclaim ancestral knowledge

Early Pueblo residents are known for their complex, multi-level dwellings that date back centuries but continue to influence architectural design today.

A new exhibit at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, examines the enduring elements of ancestral architecture and how contemporary Pueblo architects are reclaiming them. Modern designs fell victim to non-Native interpretations and modern building codes.

The exhibit, “Restorying Our HeartPlaces: Contemporary Pueblo Architecture”, tells the story of how Pueblos are asserting their sovereignty over their enduring architectural knowledge.

Grand opening program and reception for Restorying Our HeartPlaces: Contemporary Pueblo Architecture at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. [PDF]

Guests on Native America Calling

Dr. Ted Jojola (Isleta Pueblo), co-curator of the exhibit and founder and director of the Indigenous Design + Planning Institute at the University of New Mexico

Brian Vallo (Acoma Pueblo), former governor of Acoma Pueblo, independent consultant, and board member for the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in New Mexico

Charelle Brown (Santa Domingo Pueblo), advisory board member for exhibit, intern architect with Woven Architecture, and grad student in the masters of architecture program at the University of New Mexico

Dr. Lynn Paxson, co-curator of the exhibit, university professor emeritus in architecture in the College of Design at Iowa State University and an affiliate of the Indigenous Design + Planning Institute at the University of New Mexico