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San Ildefonso Pueblo
Located 23 miles (37 km) north of Santa Fe via U.S. 84/285 then west off N.M. 502, the contemporary San Ildefonso Pueblo is a flourishing art community. With an average of 20,000 visitors yearly, this is one of the most visited northern pueblos, for which the 
Census 2000 tallied a population of about 1,524.
Since the early 1900s, this Tewa village has been the center of the Pueblo arts revival. Artisans' homes throughout the pueblo are open to the public for shopping. San Ildefonso is best known as the birthplace and home of the late María Martínez, who along with her husband, Julian, developed the world-renowned black-on-black pottery with black matte designs.
The ancestors of the San Ildefonso people abandoned their original villages of Mesa Verde and Bandelier due to drastic changes in the environment. It was on top of nearby Black Mesa that San Ildefonso, along with other Pueblo people from the area, successfully held off Spanish soldiers, who laid siege on the natural stronghold during their reconquest of New Mexico in 1694.
San Ildefonso's fishing pond and picnic areas are along the Río Grande, with permits available on-site; call (505) 455-3549, 455-2273. The pueblo's Jan. 23 feast day starts with a dawn Animal Dance. Visit the María Poveka Martínez Museum or the San Ildefonso Pueblo Museum, (505) 455-3549. The visitor center, (505) 455-3549, sells maps and permits for noncommercial photography, sketching and recording, permitted except during ceremonials.
San Ildefonso Pueblo
Rt. 5 Box 315 A
Santa Fe, NM 87506
Phone: (505) 455-2273
Fax: (505) 455-7351