Double take: Tourism & photography endeavors among the northern pueblos of the Rio Grande

The tourism industry of the Southwestern United States is imbedded where American Indians continue in the nation's imagination as artisans, as living relics of the past, and as performers of spiritually authentic rituals. Specifically, New Mexico history and culture cannot be understood without some discussions of travel and tourism to the region. Beginning in the late 1800s and into the early twentieth century, this research highlights how narratives - through travel writings, postcards, and performances - became central to the marking and marketing of New Mexico. This dissertation draws upon historical tourism practices as a backdrop to discuss not only how New Mexico has been portrayed as an enchanting and enduring land, but more importantly how Pueblo people are exerting agency within such an industry. The region discussed in this research concentrates on the northern pueblos of the Rio Grande, which are located between Santa Fe and Taos in north central New Mexico.;Fundamental to this research is the inclusion of the contemporary experiences and practices by northern Pueblo people who are producing their own images and narratives to the traveling public. This dissertation is interdisciplinary in nature. Pueblo imagery and experiences are discussed through interviews with staff who work in the tourism industry as well as a content analysis of travel photographs in Pueblo produced guidebooks and brochures. This research illustrates how Pueblo people "compartmentalize" aspects of their indigenous identities with regard to what is conveyed to the traveling public and what images and community information remains off limits for public consumption. Since 1988 Pueblo produced travel guidebooks have had a profound impact by regulating on the ground travel experiences to local pueblos. A significant finding in this sociocultural narrative is that Pueblo people engage in ethnic tourism not merely as backgrounds in tourism imagery, but to the contrary that Pueblo people are enduring political histories by asserting control and changing the content and composition of the images through which the traveling public sees them.