The Pueblo of San Ildefonso was established a mile from the present village around 1300. At the beginning of the 17th century, the pueblo moved to its present site. In 1601, a convento and church were built. In 1610, Fray Andrews Baptista established a permanent mission. In 1641, the population of San Ildefonso was four hundred. By 1680, the population had doubled.

The San Ildefonso Indians played a major role in the great Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Their chief, Francisco, was one of the major leaders of the rebellion against Spanish rule. It was by his command that the church was destroyed, and many Spanish colonists were killed, including the two resident missionaries.

Black Mesa, located on the San Ildefonso Pueblo reservation in New Mexico, is a significant cultural and geographical landmark. It’s a sacred place for the San Ildefonso people, with the Pueblo’s history deeply intertwined with the mesa. The mesa itself is a volcanic outcropping rising above the Rio Grande Valley.

An Historical Account From Archaeology.org

Exploring the legacy of the New World’s most successful native rebellion.  The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 saw the San Ildefonso people retreat to Black Mesa during the Spanish reconquest.  A natural fortress, Black Mesa was the scene of dramatic events in 1694, when Pueblo warriors encamped on its summit withstood a months-long Spanish siege.

That conflict was the culmination of what is known today as the Pueblo Revolt, an indigenous uprising that began on August 10, 1680.  On that date, Pueblo warriors from 19 separate villages carried out a coordinated attack on Spanish missionaries and colonists across New Mexico.

Within a few days, they had driven virtually all Spaniards out of the province. For the next decade, apart from occasional Spanish military expeditions, the Native American peoples of New Mexico enjoyed total independence. “The Revolt period is still so important to Pueblo identity,” says University of Pennsylvania archaeologist Joseph Aguilar, a member of San Ildefonso Pueblo. “In many ways it shaped the world we live in today.”

Bandelier National Monument protects over 33,000 acres of rugged but canyon and mesa country, with evidence of people having lived here for more than 11,000 years.  Petroglyphs, dwellings carved into the soft rock cliffs, and masonry pueblos (villages) are evidence of the Ancestral Pueblo people whose descendants still live nearby.

The Visitor Center area includes a museum, bookstore, 14-minute movie, and information, with the giftshop, snack bar, and picnic area nearby.

The 3 mile round-trip Falls Trail leads downcanyon from the Visitor Center to the Upper Falls, featuring 4 trail ladders, with a guidebook describing the geology. For longer hikes, the Bandelier backcountry offers opportunities for all day and multiple-day overnight backpacking trips.