Branigan Cultural Center to feature Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe exhibit
The Branigan Cultural Center will feature the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe Pueblo of San Juan de Guadalupe in a rotating exhibit from July 18 through Oct. 10.
‘Land of the People: Naf’ole atsihem’ opens July 18 as part of the museum’s rotating gallery highlighting Indigenous stories, traditions and perspectives.
Organ Mountain News report
LAS CRUCES - A new rotating exhibit at the Branigan Cultural Center will highlight the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe Pueblo of San Juan de Guadalupe.
“Land of the People: Naf’ole atsihem” will be on view from July 18 through Oct. 10. An opening reception is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 18, with Piro-Manso-Tiwa Tribal Council members and tribal community members offering a welcome and short presentations.
The exhibit is part of the Branigan Cultural Center’s broader “Land of the People” exhibition, which includes a changing gallery space designed to allow each featured Indigenous group to share more of its own stories, traditions and perspectives.
The Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe has ancestral homelands in central and southern New Mexico and a long history in the Borderland region. According to the museum, the tribe arrived in the El Paso and Ciudad Juárez area in 1680 after Spanish forces moved numerous Indigenous groups south.
For nearly 200 years, Piro-Manso-Tiwa people lived in villages along the Rio Grande before moving north into the Mesilla Valley and Las Cruces. The tribe later settled around Cacique Felipe Roybal’s house in the early 1900s. The house is in the Mesquite Historic District, where the tribe continues to hold meetings and ceremonial dances.
The Piro-Manso-Tiwa Indian Tribe has petitioned for federal recognition. While that process continues, tribal members remain active in Las Cruces and maintain strong ties to the community.
The Branigan’s rotating exhibit space changes every 12 weeks. Upcoming featured groups include the Chiricahua Apache Nation from Nov. 7, 2026, through Jan. 30, 2027, and Gila Apache from Feb. 20 through May 15, 2027.
If You Go
What: Land of the People: Naf’ole atsihem
Where: Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St.
When: July 18 through Oct. 10
Reception: 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 18
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Admission: Free
Transit: Roadrunner Transit Route 1, Stop 1
Information: Visit lascruces.gov/Museums or call 575-541-2154, TTY 711
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