Blood, Trauma, and Biohazard Cleanup in Pojoaque, NM

Pojoaque is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, that makes up the community of the Pueblo of Pojoaque, a federally recognized tribe, and it is part of the Santa Fe Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The pueblo's Tewa name, Pʼohsųwą̈geh Ówîngeh, translates to "water-drinking place village," and Pojoaque is one of the six Tewa-speaking Rio Grande pueblos and a member of the Eight Northern Pueblos.

Tewa tradition describes Pojoaque as a "mother village" where their ancestors gathered before spreading across the Tewa Basin, and the pueblo site was settled around 500 AD, with its population peaking in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The first Spanish mission, San Francisco de Pojoaque, was founded in the early 17th century; the pueblo was abandoned during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and was not resettled until about 1706.

A severe smallpox epidemic caused Pojoaque to be abandoned again by 1912, but tribal members reoccupied the pueblo in 1934, and it became a federally recognized Indian reservation in 1936.

The population of the Pojoaque CDP was 2,071 at the 2020 census, up from 1,907 in the 2010 census and 1,261 in 2000.

There were 854 households and 925 housing units in Pojoaque at the 2020 census.

The Pueblo of Pojoaque's reservation covers about 11,963 acres, and the tribe has roughly 482 enrolled members, so most CDP residents are not tribal members.

The pueblo is governed by a Tribal Council and a Governor and describes its government as a consensus-based republic maintained since time immemorial.

The pueblo operates the Poeh Cultural Center, which opened as the Poeh Museum in 1987 and showcases Tewa art and culture.