The rubble mounds you see in front of you are the remains of Giusewatowa (GEE-say-wah-tuu-wah) Giusewa for short, and translates to "Village by the sulphur;" the name originates from the nearby hot springs. The village extended west under the highway, all the way to the Jemez River, and contained roughly 600-800 rooms which housed about 800-1000 people.
Giusewa is an ancestral village of the present Jemez Pueblo, located 13 miles south. The original inhabitants, the Jemez (HAY-mes), occupied this village as well as numerous other villages throughout this region. Jemez people began living here in the 1300s.
Did you know?
The word "Jemez" is the Spanish spelling of the Jemez word "HEE-MEESH," which is their name for their own people.