Bobcat Stories

Bosque School’s 10th-grade New Mexico History course, taught by upper school humanities teachers Erin Zavitz and Meg King, explores early indigenous history, the formation of pueblos, and the interactions between Spanish settlers and Puebloan people. Their recent field trip to the Coronado Historic Site brought these lessons to life, offering students hands-on experience with the subject matter. By visiting the site where Puebloan people and Spanish settlers once interacted, students were able to engage directly with the history they’ve studied, deepening their understanding of the cultural and historical significance of the region.

Though named after the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, the site is the former Kuaua Pueblo, a Tiwa settlement along the Rio Grande. Adobe buildings and kivas have been excavated on site, and one kiva is fully restored. Students learned about the agricultural, religious, and artistic traditions of the Pueblo as well as its connections to extensive trade networks throughout the region.

During his expedition into the upper Rio Grande Valley, Coronado and his group of Spanish soldiers, indigenous allies, and accompanying women passed by Kuaua and engaged in a violent conflict, likely a dispute over resources demanded by the Spanish. 

Students saw firsthand how the Puebloan people lived precontact and how colonization altered their lives, including the end of Kuaua in the late 1600s after the Pueblo Revolt (1680). Students appreciated the direct experience. “It made all the information feel more real and important, not just on paper,” reported Liliana. “It adds to my understanding of everyday life, not just the broad history,” said Hannah. Many students appreciated the kiva and its frescoes, including Jazn, who enjoyed learning how the Puebloans made pigment from minerals, and Michael, who now understands how Pueblo buildings are constructed. Isaí appreciated how the paintings expressed the relevance of rain to indigenous peoples. Both Katherine and Carson commented on how interesting it was that the growing and trading of cotton was how the Puebloan people were able to acquire more exotic goods from other regions, and Carson expressed an appreciation shared by many that the field trip gave them “a hands-on experience and a visual correlation between readings and visual representation.”