Witchcraft in the American Southwest
In a state known as the "Land of Enchantment", it doesn't seem unusual that, like in other parts of the United States and the world, there is a following of the occult. Perhaps New Mexico has more than its share of "witches", for the occult is well founded here, ever since, perhaps, human habitation first came to the area thousands of years ago. Among the indigeneous people, there have always been "good" shamans and "dark" shamans, depending on what power the medicine man called upon to practice his/her art. South of Santa Fe, along the Rio Grande River, there's a small mound, or hill, that promises a great vantage from which to see the river valley and the surrounding mountains. It appears as any ordinary hillock of the area, bare except for a few scrub juniper. Yet it is a place shunned by the local indigenous population even today, who skirt the area regardless how far they must travel out of the way.
Upon asking a local high school student about the place. he became uncomfortable; nervously twitching and trying to avoid the subject. With some presistence I persuaded the story out of him. Apparently the site is one well known by the Pueblo dwellers; a place used by a witch among their people who could change herself into an animal; in this case a coyote. The locals believe the place is cursed and avoid it at all costs. I was suprised to find one so young among the residents of this particular Pueblo who believed in such things. When I mentioned this to him, he replied, "Witches are no joke, there are several who live in the Pueblo."
Marc Simmons, author of "Witchcraft in the Southwest", the definitive book on the subject, has documented a number of witch tales from the Pueblos of the area. For instance, Simmons points out the Southwest is known for its brown adobe structures, brightly highlighted by blue or turquoise doors and window frames. The color scheme was originally designed to keep witches away from the house and not as simple decoration according to Simmons research.
In his weekly newspaper column, Pulitizer Prize winning Indian novelist N. Scott Momaday noted that he and his family are "fond" of witches and their stories. Recalling personal experiences at Jemez Peublo (near Los Alamos), Momaday reflected that he knew of several witches that lived there, citing an incident where he observed "witch lights" in the surrounding mountains outside the Pueblo while living there as a resident.
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