The Poeh Center

vibrant cultural center of Pojoaque Pueblo

Welcome to Postcards from New Mexico!
Two Sundays a month, I share beauty, stories, and culture from this region that has been my home since 2008.

In the Tewa language, poeh means pathway. The Poeh Cultural Center, located in the Pueblo of Pojoaque between Santa Fe and Española, offers a wonderful pathway to get to know the Tewa people of the Northern Rio Grande. Whenever I have visitors who ask how they can learn more about Native culture and history of this area, The Poeh Center is the first place I send them. In the words of the Center’s mission statement, it’s “a gathering place for the respectful sustaining of Tewa traditions through being, doing and sharing.”

Founded in 1988, the Center has evolved into a first-class museum, a vibrant art center, and a hub for cultural and educational activities. The buildings are based on traditional Pueblo architecture with soft, rounded corners and mica (a material indigenous to this region) embedded in the adobe exterior walls, reflecting sunlight in a magical way. The Tower Gallery, on the grounds of the Center, is the tallest adobe structure in New Mexico.

Once you enter the museum, head to Nah Poeh Meng (On the Continuous Path). This permanent exhibit invites you to experience the origin story and history of the Tewa people, through the Spanish conquest and colonization, to the present day. As you walk through each room, look for Roxanne Swentzell’s expressive sculptures that bring these stories to life. Swentzell is from Santa Clara Pueblo. Be prepared for some emotions to come up as you move through the exhibit — the transition from the pastoral earth-based ways of the Tewa peoples, pre-contact, to the brutal colonization of the Spaniards is palpable.

But the good news is the strength and resilience of the Pueblo people, and the Poeh Center is dedicated to uplifting that story. One chapter in this part of the story is the Di Wae Powa (They Come Back) exhibit, consisting of 100 pieces of ancestral pottery that were rematriated to Pojoaque Pueblo from the Smithsonian Institute in 2019. Di Wae Powa is the outcome of lengthy talks with the Smithsonian and concerted efforts by Pueblo artists and elders. These efforts culminated in a beautiful event at the end of 2019 when the pots were officially welcomed back home and the exhibit opened.

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian staff with artist Erik Fender, preparing a pot to ‘come home’

In addition to the museum, the Poeh Center hosts the Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival every August, during the same weekend as Indian Market in Santa Fe. Pathways has become a wildly popular event, with artisans, musicians, dancers, and food vendors spread throughout the nearby Buffalo Thunder hotel and casino. There’s also a Pueblo Fiber Arts Show in May.

While all of these exhibits and events are open to the general public, the Center does reserve one part of its offerings exclusively for tribal members. Classes in pottery, embroidery, jewelry, belt weaving, and more are taught by master artists and offered for free as a way to continue these traditions within Pueblo communities.

IF YOU GO:

The Poeh Center is located at 78 Cities of Gold Road, Santa Fe, NM 87506

Hours: Monday through Friday. 10 am to 5pm

Admission:

General $10
Seniors (60+) $7
Military $7
Student (w/ ID) $7

Kids (12 and under): free
Native American: free

Wish you were here!

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