This pueblo ruin is on the west bank of the Rio Grande, one mile from
the town of Bernalillo, seventeen miles north of Albuquerque, and one
mile off U.S. Highway 85, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
The Pueblo of Kuaua was one of the several towns of the ancient Tiguex
province. At or near Kuaua, the Coronado expedition maintained
headquarters from about 1540 to 1542 A.D. During excavation of the
ancient pueblo, more than 1200 ground-floor rooms were found and five
kivas, or underground ceremonial chambers, were uncovered.
In one of the kivas was found a highly important group of ancient wall
paintings. This kiva has been reconstructed and the paintings restored.
The old walls of Kuaua have been rebuilt to a few feet in height so that
the structure can be seen. A museum has been erected on the site to
exhibit the material found during the excavation and to portray life in
the Tiguex province. The Coronado State Monument and Museum commemorates
the meeting, more than four hundred years ago, of the elements that
influenced the culture of New Mexico—the Indian and the _conquistadore_.
A curator-custodian is on duty at the Coronado Museum headquarters,
which is open all year.