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This mission was christened San Gregorio de Abo. It was built on the outskirts of a pueblo. The original mission was built in 1622 and later expanded and completed in 1651. The Pueblo ruins are unexcavated mounds to the southeast of the mission. This Pueblo was established in the the 12th century and became a trade center in the 1400's. The Spanish came to settle and convert the Tompiro Indians to Christianity in the 1600's. According to the Spanish census in 1640, there were over 1,500 people at Abo. By 1673, the Pueblo and mission were abandoned. | |
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The image above is a view of the kiva inside the church area. The Tompiro Indians used this area in their rituals and as part of their native religion. The priests were originally tolerant of the activities in the kiva and called the areas sweat rooms. Later, the priests strove to drive out the pagan religion by smashing Kachina masks, forbidding the dances, and destroying kivas |
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