A thousand years before the first Europeans set foot in the Western Hemisphere, the Pueblo Indians had permanent, stable agricultural communities along the rivers of the Four Corners region. But their history goes back much further. Pueblo cultures date to before 1000 BC, when the Indian peoples settled in such places as Mesa Verde in Colorado, Canyon de Chelly in Arizona, and Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. For unknown reasons, these peoples abandoned these settlements in the 1200s.
In New Mexico, over a period of hundreds of years, their descendants settled along the Rio Grande and its tributaries. The earliest historical record of the Pueblos was 1519. That year, Spanish explorers encountered active, thriving villages, which had already existed for hundreds of years. Forest Corps member Mayera Coriz “Era” grew up on the Santa Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico.
One of 19 Pueblos in New Mexico, Santo Domingo is among the largest, with more than 4,500 members. More than 3,600 members live in their village along the Rio Grande midway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe on I-25.
“I am proud to come from Santo Domingo Pueblo “Kewa” and represent Native Americans,” says Era, who had her first trail crew job when she was 16 and has also worked on wildland firefighting crews. “I hope to inspire more of the younger generation, particularly women, to venture beyond the Pueblo and explore new horizons in the outdoors. We are just as capable as men.”
Favorite trail tool:
“I truly love operating a chainsaw. The transformation from before to after is quite remarkable! Also, I find the process of felling a tree to be the most exhilarating aspect of the job,” she says, and adds that Forest Corps will be her first time training in and using a cross-cut saw. “I’m excited for that.”