Located just off historic Route 66 in Zuni Pueblo, the Zuni Visitor Center offers travelers a warm introduction to the culture, history and natural beauty of the community. The center provides information on local attractions, tours, cultural events and artisan markets, making it an essential starting point for exploring one of the Southwest’s most enduring Indigenous communities.

Visitors can meet staff knowledgeable in A:shiwi traditions, learn about historic sites, and get guidance for hiking, sightseeing and cultural experiences in the Zuni Mountains and surrounding high desert. The center also highlights local arts, including pottery, jewelry and textiles, providing connections to artisans whose families have lived in the region for generations.

Set against the backdrop of distant mesas and wide desert skies, the Zuni Visitor Center serves as both a practical hub for travelers and a gateway to understanding the spiritual and cultural richness of Zuni Pueblo. It encourages exploration at a respectful pace, allowing visitors to engage deeply with both landscape and community.

ZUNI HISTORY

Zuni Pueblo is the largest of the nineteen New Mexican Pueblos, covering more than 400,000 total combined acreages (not including other sites) and with an enrolled population of over 20,000. We are considered the most traditional of all the New Mexico Pueblos, with a unique language, culture, and history that resulted in part from our geographic isolation. With perhaps 80% of our workforce involved in making art, we are indeed an "artist colony." Our main "industry" is the production of arts, including inlay silverwork, stone “fetish” carving, pottery, and others of which we are world famous.

ZUNI PUEBLO MAINSTREET

Zuni Pueblo MainStreet (ZPMS) is a non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) located within the Pueblo of Zuni in McKinley County, New Mexico. Notably, it is the first and only Native American Main Street community in the United States, created in July of 2012 to utilize new approaches and methods to encourage revitalization of our local economy while continuing to preserve our unique traditional and historic elements.

TOURS at ZUNI PUEBLO - Tours can be reserved 3 days in advanced and available on weekends.

Halona:Idiwana – The Middle Place
Immerse yourself in the Middle Place through an oral presentation of "The Migration Story" detailing cultural history and an interpretive driving tour of Zuni Pueblo's most historic and culturally significant neighborhood. This driving tour is available year-round, rain or shine, and lasts approximately one (1) hour. Guests will travel in the Zuni Visitor's Center vehicle through the Zuni Middle Place exploring an active residential neighborhood that holds cultural activities.

Old Zuni Mission 
Step back in time as you enter the historic Mission Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe church and marvel at the world-renowned kachina mural the late Alex Seowtewa created. Listen to the fascinating history of different cultures coexisting together for centuries. The church is centered in the Halona:idiwan'a (the middle place), which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This tour is available year-round, weather permitting, and lasts approximately one (1) hour. No photos are allowed in the Church itself due to copyright.

Shiwi (Zuni) World View
 Sample the history, culture, and religion of the A:shiwi through the telling of the Migration Story, the impacts of the Spanish, how the Zuni Community is organized, and what role traditional religion plays in daily life.

This sit-down presentation is available year-round, rain or shine, and lasts approximately one (1) hour. Guests will stay at the Zuni Visitor's Center and listen to a cultural interpreter as he explains a few ins and outs of Zuni.

Cities of Cibola
Spend a full day learning about and touring all six ancestral villages, including Halona:idiwan'a (present-day Zuni Pueblo), Hawikku (where Cornado first arrived), and the unexcavated sites of Kwa'kin'a, Kechiba:wa, Mats's:kya, and Kyaki:ma. Gain a better understanding of present-day Zuni culture by learning about its complex past. This is partially a driving and walking/hiking tour available from October to March, weather permitting, and lasts approximately six (6) hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Guests will walk about a mile through easy to moderate terrain. Some trails are well maintained and all vary in length.

Hawikku Village
Step back in time on an interpreted visit to this ancestral village, one of the fabled "Cities of Cibola" and in 1540, the place of "first contact" between Europeans and Native peoples in the Southwest. The site was extensively excavated from 1917 to 1923 by archaeologist Federick Hodge and is a featured exhibit at our local A:shiwi A:wan Museum & Heritage Center.

This walking/hiking tour is available year-round, weather permitting, and lasts approximately 2.5-3 hours. Guests will walk about 100 yards through moderate terrain.

Village of the Great Kivas
Experience this Chacoan-outlier village site with its two “great” kivas and countless room blocks that housed over a hundred inhabitants during a period. View extensive nearby petroglyphs & pictographs that were excavated in 1930 by archaeologist Frank H. H. Roberts, Jr. This “two-tours-in-one” provides a glimpse into the culture and society from Zuni’s distant past but with links to more recent history.

This walking/hiking tour is available year-round, weather permitting, and lasts approximately 2.5-3 hours. Guests will walk about a mile through moderate to extreme terrain reaching 6,760 ft at the highest point. The trail will travel around side cliffs with high drops and no railing. This trail is not suitable for people who easily experience stress, fear, and/or anxiety.

Badger Springs
Visit this remote backcountry rock art and great house site to experience a rich variety of ancestral images that come alive through cultural stories and interpretation. This walking/hiking tour is available year-round, weather permitting, and lasts approximately 2.5-3 hours. Guests will walk about a mile through a moderately loose dirt trail.

Lobby Hours: Mon-Fri 9a-5p (Closed on weekends & holidays)

LODGING

Cimmaron Rose Bed & Breakfast

The Inn at Halona Bed & Breakfast

El Morro RV Park & Cabins