Pencil sketch of a multi-storied pueblo dwelling. NPS/PETR. “Pueblo” is the Spanish word for village. Spanish explorers used the word “pueblo” to describe both the permanent residential structures and the people living in these communities throughout the middle Rio Grande Valley. When the Spanish arrived in 1540, there were possibly more than 100 pueblos located along the Rio Grande Valley, from northern Taos Pueblo to southern Isleta Pueblo. Today there are 19 pueblos in New Mexico, each with its own government but sharing a common prehistory and culture.