photograph by camera_obscura via Flickr
Acoma Pueblo, NM: Acoma Pueblo, built on top of a giant, craggy mesa, is one of the oldest continuously occupied settlements in the United States. Founded as early as A.D. 1100, its location made it virtually impregnable in early times. The Mission of San Estevan del Rey (also an NHL designated in 1970), built to the side of the pueblo ca. 1629-1642 adds to the impressiveness of the site with its battered adobe walls and bold silhouette, a near-perfect blend of Indian and Spanish influences. The Acoma still use the pueblo and have considerable interaction with neighboring non-Indians, yet maintain their identity as a separate community with distinctive cultural systems.