Scene from the Elders in Residence Program at the Jemez Historic Site. Courtesy photo
Scene from the Elders in Residence Program at the Jemez Historic Site. Courtesy photo
JEMEZ HISTORIC SITE NEWS RELEASE
Jemez Historic Site is hosting a new Elders in Residence program Wednesdays through Sundays, August 6 – 17, 2025, connecting youth and elders from the Pueblo of Jemez to lead interpretive tours, preservation projects, and garden maintenance.
Elders from the Pueblo first receive training so they can provide public tours of the site and learn about interpretation and preservation. They will work with Jemez youth, offering insight and suggestions based on their training.
“Jemez Historic Site is honored to host elders from the Pueblo of Jemez this summer. This gives the public an opportunity to hear about the stories and importance of the site directly from the people to whom it ancestrally belongs,” said Wendi Laws, regional site manager.
The youth, from Walatowa High Charter School in Jemez Pueblo, also receive training and observe tours given by staff. They will have the opportunity to work on different aspects of preservation, restoration, and interpretive garden maintenance activities.
Both the elders and the youth will have an opportunity to share their unique suggestions and insight into operations at the site. The program’s focus is on strengthening intergenerational cultural vibrancy, as well as offering professional development for the youth participants.
Take a tour of the site from an elder or youth Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tours are included with admission of $7 for adults and free to children 16 and younger, people with Native/Tribal affiliations, NM disabled veterans, NM foster families, and members of Museum of New Mexico Foundation and Friends of Coronado and Jemez Historic Sites.
About Jemez Historic Site
Jemez Historic Site includes the stone remnants of the 700-year-old Gisewa village, which was built in the narrow San Diego Canyon by the ancestors of the present-day people of Jemez Pueblo (Walatowa). The name Gisewa refers to the natural hot springs in the area. The site also includes the ruins of the San José de los Jémez Church, a Spanish-built Catholic mission dating back to 1621-22. The mission was short-lived, and, in time, the people left the site and moved to the current location of Jemez Pueblo. The museum contains exhibitions that tell the story of the site through the words of the Jemez people, and a 1,400-foot interpretive trail winds through the outdoor ruins. Learn more at nmhistoricsites.org/jemez.