San Ildefonso has gained fame throughout the world because of the
excellence of its pottery. The high quality and general acceptance of
this commodity has made the village prosperous. It boasts some of the
most famous Indian artists and artisans in the United States, among them
Julian and Maria Martinez, perhaps the best-known potters in the world.
San Ildefonso participated in the Pueblo Revolt but did not contest the
reconquest, at least not at first. In 1694, when de Vargas began to wage
war on the northern pueblos, San Ildefonso did take part. The people
fortified themselves on Black Mesa, a high, steep mesa of volcanic
origin near the pueblo. There they successfully withstood Spanish
efforts to dislodge them. Notwithstanding their initial success, they
were ultimately conquered and brought into the Spanish system. Today
there are several hundred people living in the village, and they are
among the friendliest of the pueblo peoples. San Ildefonso is easily
accessible from Santa Fe.
The mission church dates back to the 1890’s, although earlier churches
at the pueblo played an important role in bringing Christianity to the
Pueblo Indian world. The older churches are long since gone.