The property is located four miles east
of Interstate 25, east of Santo Domingo
Pueblo, just off Highway 22.  Ideally situated halfway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque and central to the nineteen Pueblos of New Mexico, HAMAATSA is easily accessible to the communities we are serving.  

Once owned by the Ball Family of Ball glass canning jar fame, this land was part of the Ortiz Mountain Ranch.  After the death of Edmund Ball, the ranch, including this pristine half section parcel, was donated to the Nature Conservancy.  HAMAATSA purchased the property from the Nature Conservancy on August 1, 2007.  "Because this particular property is aboriginal land, it is an ideal site and match for Hamaatsa's mission for restoration of indigenous life-ways and land stewardship", says Pueblo Indian, founding director, Larry Littlebird.

ACEC - Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Situated in the foothills of the Ortiz Mountains (to the east) there are sweeping vistas in all four directions with the Sandia Mountains to the south, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the north and the Jemez Mountains to the west.  The lands of Hamaatsa are bordered by San Felipe reservation on three sides and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on one side.  Gently rolling hills and mesas characterize the topography covered with grasslands and juniper savanna.  The 320 acre property lies within an environmentally protected area (ACEC) which is rich in cultural history, endangered plant and animal species and of geological and paleontological significance.  Our master plan includes critical guidelines for keeping our footprint light upon this sacred land and special place.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING
HAMAATSA is being developed as a small-scale, sustainable community for living simply on the land.  The eco-friendly learning center is being built entirely "off grid" within a 60 acre building site envelope keeping 260 acres undisturbed and protected under a conservation easement. We are working with a team of architects and master planners who are highly recognized for their work with sustainable land planning, green building systems and Southwest architecture.  The Great House, Tzitch-cuh-drew-dhi, will be a multi-storied Puebloan compound, reviving Chacoan architecture and design principles. The compound includes: a central gathering room, a large kitchen with dining area opening to a large outdoor space for gathering and cooking. The compound will feature eighteen unique guest rooms with a maximum lodging capacity of thirty people.  As part of our commitment to building a center which features eco-friendly design and green building, we will use photovoltaic power systems, alternative onsite water and gray-water systems and state-of-the art composting toilets.  The Center will also house resident staff and provide facilities for artist in-residence programs, including a workshop/studio space with upstair housing units.  Gardens with handcrafted stone walls and special meditation spots will be carefully designed throughout the property to be enjoyed as quiet places for solitude and prayer.

The construction of the Center is projected to take two years with groundbreaking scheduled for Fall 2008.  In order to begin operating our programs during 2008, staff and guest housing will be in tents and tipis with programs conducted in the council lodge and outdoor sheltered spaces.



CEREMONIAL AREA
The ceremonial area is where Hamaatsa culturally and spiritually relevant activities take place. This is a secluded "walk-in area only" and has no electricity.  White Dawn House, Grandfather Sweat House, the Dance Arbor and the Council Lodge are located here, as well as a "future" hermitage, a simple adobe dwelling for servant leaders to retreat for prayer, meditation and solitude. 

WHITE DAWN HOUSE  at HAMAATSA
White Dawn House, Gosh’guy’yu’nhi Cuh’drew’dhi, is a spiritual house to be built at HAMAATSA.  This spiritual house will be modeled after the original house given to the ancient Pueblo people by the Creator.  With the coming of the Spanish, Pueblo people were forced to live within land holdings established by the Royal Crown, and convert to Catholicism with churches built in their villages.  Later, the United States federal government, reduced the land holdings to present reservation lands held in trust without true aboriginal ownership. Today, the Pueblo people still retain their indigenous spirituality, although, it overlaps and integrates with the Catholic Church.  Pueblo elder, Larry Littlebird, assisted by other elders is re-establishing this original spiritual house for all the people.  White Dawn House will become the first such house to be built outside reservation lands in the last four-hundred years.

I
ndigenous Learning Center
HAMAATSA is based on 320 acres of environmentally protected land in north central New Mexico in the rolling foothills of the Ortiz Mountains.
HAMAATSA
Council Lodge
Building site for the
Learning Center
Historic stone survey marker, dated 1856, was  found on Hamaatsa's north boundary and records when aboriginal lands were sectioned off by the United Sates government.
White Dawn House
Site
Solar array being installed for our well
Copyright 2007 Hamaatsa.  All rights reserved.  HAMAATSA is a Native led 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.