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Sun Dance of Acoma Indians, Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, circa 1907

Subjects
Native American LifeParades & Celebrations
Card type
Linen
Date
c. 1907 (Golden Age)
Front of Sun Dance of Acoma Indians, Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, circa 1907, c. 1907 linen postcard
Front
Back of Sun Dance of Acoma Indians, Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, circa 1907, c. 1907 linen postcard
Back

About this postcard

A line of Acoma men in ceremonial dress, bare torsos, white kilts with woven sashes, headbands and evergreen sprigs, moves across the plaza of Acoma Pueblo. Spectators watch from the rooftop of an adobe building, and a wooden ladder leans against the wall. The event is the annual feast of San Esteban on September 2, described on the card as a "half-pagan, half-Christian" sun dance with Christian ceremonials interjected. The caption's "Sista de San Esteban" likely refers to the fiesta of San Esteban. Acoma Pueblo, also called Sky City, is a Keresan pueblo on a sandstone mesa in western New Mexico, occupied for centuries and known for its terraced adobe houses and ladder access. The feast day blends Catholic observance with Pueblo ceremonial practice.

Postcard Details

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PublisherHI-T-CO
5725. Sun Dance of Acoma Indians --- SUN DANCE OF THE ACOMA INDIANS Each year on the 2nd of September is cele- brated at Acoma the half-pagan, half-Christian Sista de San Esteban. It is a sun dance with Christian ceremonials interjected throughout. Sometimes a dramatic representation is given as taught to the ancestors of these people by the old priests.
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Postcard record

PublisherHI-T-CO
Series5725
ConditionGood
Place depictedAcoma Pueblo, NM
Place mentionedAcoma
NotesLinen-textured stock with a narrow white border; printed number 5725 at the caption. Slight edge and corner wear. No postmark. Divided-back private 'POST CARD' with 'THIS SPACE FOR MESSAGE' / 'ADDRESS' layout and printed descriptive text; no white border on the front; coarse color-litho texture; light foxing and soiling on the back, otherwise clean and unwritten.

Cite this card

Sun Dance of Acoma Indians, Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, circa 1907, postcard, c. 1907. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/sun-dance-of-acoma-indians-acoma-pueblo-new-mexico-circa-190. Accessed November 2, 2026.