Jemez Pueblo is a living community, not a monument, and the first thing to understand about it is that the people who live here call it Walatowa, meaning this is the place in their language, Towa. The village sits at the foot of the Jemez Mountains, in a valley of red sandstone cliffs along State Route 4, and the pueblo's lands run up the canyon of the Jemez River toward the high country. The Jemez people have lived in this region for many centuries, and are the only remaining speakers of Towa, a language they share with the people of the former Pecos Pueblo.
The cliffs along the road here are spectacular, a wall of red and cream rock streaked with black, rising a few hundred feet above the river and catching the evening light. Cottonwoods line the river, and the land around the pueblo is green with fields and orchards. The Walatowa Visitor Center, on the highway, has a small museum and sells local crafts and food. Jemez is known for its pottery, and for its feast days, especially the one held on 12 November, when the village welcomes visitors with dances and stalls selling red and green chile stew and fry bread. Photography and sketching are not permitted in most parts of the pueblo, so ask first.
The road is the Jemez Mountain Trail Scenic Byway, and the ride up the canyon is a joy. From Bernalillo, Route 4 follows the river past the pueblo, with long, easy curves through red rock country, then climbs through pine forest toward the volcanic caldera of the Valles Grande. The surface is good, the traffic moderate, and the views change at every bend. Weekends can be busy, particularly in autumn, but weekday mornings are calm. Winter brings ice at higher levels, and summer thunderstorms bring flash floods.
Further up, past the pueblo, lie Jemez Springs, with its hot springs and the ruins of the seventeenth-century Franciscan mission of San Jose de los Jemez, and Soda Dam, a curious calcium-rich formation across the river. The nearest large towns are on the other side of the mountains, around Bernalillo and Rio Rancho, where petrol and supermarkets are plentiful. Small shops in the valley sell snacks, but fuel is more limited. Treat the pueblo with respect, stay on public roads, and be aware that some areas are closed to visitors.