The Tesuque Pueblo (pronounced “Teh-sue-key”), just north of the city of Santa Fe, is one of the most traditional of all of the Tewa speaking Pueblos, despite having been in contact with outside cultures throughout much of its history. Tesuque, one of the smallest Pueblos, maintains great reverence for its traditional religious ceremonies.
Archaeologists have determined that the Pueblo existed before 1200 A.D. Farming comprises the primary activity of the Tesuque men, while women produce a great deal of brightly colored pottery based upon traditional designs.
The Tesuque people played an important role in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Two of its members were inter-tribal messengers and spread news of the uprising throughout the territory. When the revolt was put down and the Pueblos again came under the control of the Spanish, and later, the Anglo-Americans, the Tesuque people continued to maintain their ancient ceremonies in spite of the pressures of alien cultures to assimilate into the Spanish and American ways to life.