Land of the People: Naf’ole atsihem Opens at the Branigan Cultural Center July 18

From July 18 through October 10, 2026, we are featuring the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe Pueblo of San Juan de Guadalupe.

Source: City of Las Cruces
Images: Courtesy

Within the Land of the People: Shimba Tainin kau natheure wein – Tierra Sagrada – Ndende bì Ke’ya – Naf’ole atsihem – Nde benah – Ndee Biyááh exhibit at the Branigan Cultural Center, a special changing gallery space allows each Indigenous group to go deeper into their unique stories. From July 18 through October 10, 2026, we are featuring the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe Pueblo of San Juan de Guadalupe. An opening reception for the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe exhibit, Land of the People: Naf’ole atsihem, is scheduled for 9-11 a.m. Saturday, July 18. Piro-Manso-Tiwa Tribal Council members and tribal community members will provide a welcoming and short presentations. 

Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe Spring Ceremony

The Piro-Manso-Tiwa (PMT) Indian Tribe has a long history in the Borderland region, with ancestral homelands in Central and Southern New Mexico. They arrived in the El Paso/Ciudad Juárez area in 1680 after the Spanish forced numerous Indigenous groups to the South. For nearly 200 years, the PMT lived in villages along the Rio Grande but eventually moved north into the Mesilla Valley and Las Cruces, ultimately settling around Cacique Felipe Roybal’s house in the early 1900s. The house is in the current Mesquite Historic District where they still hold tribal meetings and ceremonial dances. 

Subscribe to the Daily Las Cruces Digest

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name *How would you like to be addressed in personalized emails?

/* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

The Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe has petitioned to become a federally-recognized tribe. While they wait for that bureaucratic process to be completed, their members continue to gather as an active and involved tribe with strong ties to the Las Cruces community. We invite you to learn more about this local Indigenous group and their heritage and traditions. 

Photo Credits:

1. Bow and arrow dancers; from left, Francis “Kika” Roybal, Francisco Padilla, Cirildo Avalos, and Delfina Cruz at the home of Felipe Roybal and Francisca Avalos Roybal, c. 1920s – Courtesy of NMSU Library Archives & Special Collections
2. Pueblo line at Cacique Roybal’s tribal land – now and 100 years ago – Courtesy of PMT Archives
3. PMT Indian Tribe in front of Cacique Roybal’s land – Courtesy of PMT Archives

This featured rotating space changes every 12 weeks, which allows each Indigenous group to go deeper into their own unique stories, traditions, and perspectives. The upcoming exhibit sequence is as follows: Chiricahua Apache Nation, November 7, 2026 – January 30, 2027; and Gila Apache, February 20 – May 15, 2027. 

For more information on up-to-date events visit LasCruces.gov/Museums or Las Cruces Museums’ social media platforms @LCMuseums. 

The Branigan Cultural Center is located at 501 N. Main St. and is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. There is no admission charge. The museum is accessible from Roadrunner Transit Route 1 Stop 1. For additional information, visit the website at https://www.LasCruces.gov/Museums or call (575) 541-2154 / TTY 711