| Yonder, yonder the fair rainbow, | | | | knowing that the profits from all purchases go |
| See the rainbow brightly decked and painted! | | | | directly to the native craftspeople. |
| Now the swallow bringeth glad news to your corn... | | | | During the summer the center proudly features |
| Zuni corn-grinding song. | | | | Indian dances. The dances are wonderfully dexterous |
| The rainbow, with its auspicious blending of colors, is | | | | displays of colorful ancient skills. |
| the harbinger of good fortune in many cultures. This | | | | The museum also boasts a restaurant that serves |
| is especially true of the native tribes in the | | | | first class native Indian food at very reasonable |
| rain-starved areas of the American southwest. | | | | prices. |
| Its the rainbow-like blending of cultures - Native | | | | Visitors traveling between Albuquerque and beautiful |
| Indian, Spanish and Anglo-American - that enhances | | | | Sante Fe, the state capital 100 kilometers (60 miles) |
| the "land of enchantment," the state of New Mexico. | | | | to the north, should avoid the freeway and travel on |
| Each culture has made a discernible contribution to | | | | Highway 14, the "Turquoise Trail." |
| the state's food, music, religion, art, architecture, | | | | A side trip to the 3,255 meter (10,678ft) high Sandia |
| traditions and attitudes. | | | | Crest is a must. From the summit's observation deck |
| The native tribes of the southwest manifest an | | | | one has a 360-degree view encompassing 28,500 |
| admirable pride in their culture and heritage and | | | | square kilometers (11,000 square miles). Sandia Peak, |
| nowhere is that pride more in evidence than in the | | | | just below the crest, boasts fabulous ski-ing and is |
| Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in the state's largest | | | | directly accessible from Albuquerque via a |
| city, Albuquerque (population, 500,000). Owned and | | | | 4.3-kilometer (2.7 miles) aerial tramway, the world's |
| operated by the Pueblo Tribes of New Mexico, the | | | | longest. |
| museum exhibits a vast collection that traces the | | | | Back on Highway 14 visitors will travel through a |
| development of the pueblo culture. The center is the | | | | series of old ghost towns that have recently been |
| richest resource for the study of America's first | | | | reclaimed and settled by artists and craftspeople. |
| inhabitants in the southwest. | | | | One such town, Cerrillos, supported 21 saloons and |
| The lower level of the museum tells the story of the | | | | four hotels at its peak in the 1880s. The inhabitants |
| Pueblo Indians from prehistoric times to the present | | | | were ranchers and the miners who extracted gold, |
| through displays of ancient artifacts. The upper level | | | | silver, lead, zinc and some of the world's finest |
| is divided into 19 alcoves, one for each of the | | | | turquoise - hence the "Turquoise" Trail - from the |
| region's pueblo tribes, explaining their culture through | | | | nearby hills. Now Cerrillos remains a picturesque |
| their art and crafts. | | | | reminder of the Old West and has in fact been the |
| Officials of the center point with particular pride to | | | | setting for several western movies. |
| their collection of original paintings, sculptures, | | | | Shakespeare may not have approved of adding |
| pottery, jewelry, musical instruments and woven | | | | "another hue unto the rainbow", but the "Turquoise" |
| rugs. They emphasize that strict standards are | | | | trail adds immeasurably to the already colorful |
| applied to every entry and only the finest quality | | | | spectrum known as New Mexico. |
| work is represented. Visitors have the satisfaction of | | | | |