Santo Domingo Mission

About Santo Domingo Mission

Santo Domingo Mission is the Catholic mission church serving the people of Kewa Pueblo, a federally recognized Pueblo along the Rio Grande between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Though the pueblo has been Catholic since Spanish missionary times, residents maintain their ancient Keresan religious traditions alongside Catholic practice — a coexistence the tribe's website describes as central to their identity. The mission is an active church of the multi-mission Parish of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Peña Blanca.

History of Mission Santo Domingo

Spanish colonizers arrived at Santo Domingo in 1598 and the first mission church was built by 1607; by 1610 the pueblo had been named the ecclesiastical mission headquarters for all of New Mexico. During the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, residents killed the three resident priests and burned the churches before evacuating ahead of Governor Otermín's forces, and missionaries did not return until after the reconquest of 1692. Floods of 1780, 1823, and 1830 damaged the pueblo, and the catastrophic June 1886 flood destroyed the mission church and cemetery; Father Dumarest, a French priest, later shepherded the rebuilding of a new church in the old style. The mission and pueblo were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

• 1607 — first church built
• 1610 — Santo Domingo named ecclesiastical mission headquarters for New Mexico
• 1680 — Pueblo Revolt, priests killed, churches burned
• 1692 — Spanish return; missionaries gradually restored
• 1886 — Rio Grande flood destroys mission church and cemetery
• c. 1896 — church rebuilt to resemble the original adobe structure
• 1973 — listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Feast Day of St. Dominic

The feast of St. Dominic, the pueblo's patron saint, is celebrated on August 4 each year — one of the largest Native American feast days in the Southwest. The celebration begins with morning Mass in the mission church at the east edge of the pueblo, after which a statue of St. Dominic is processed to a bough-covered shrine in the pueblo plaza. The Green Corn Dance follows, with more than a thousand Kewa people in ceremonial dress taking turns dancing in the plaza to the chanting and drums of the Squash and Turquoise Kivas. Local artists sell pottery, jewelry and silverwork at tables in the pueblo, with food stands and carnival rides set up to the south of the church.

• Annual feast day: August 4
• Begins with morning Mass in the mission church
• Procession of St. Dominic statue to a shrine on the plaza
• Green Corn Dance by the Squash and Turquoise Kivas
• Free to attend; donations welcome

Mass and Sacramental Schedule

Sunday Mass at Santo Domingo Mission is celebrated at 7:00 AM in English, in rotation with the other mission churches of the Parish of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Confessions, Rosary, and Adoration are scheduled at the parent parish in Peña Blanca on Saturdays at 5:00 PM, alongside the 5:30 PM Vigil Mass.

• Sunday — 7:00 AM, English, Santo Domingo Mission, Kewa Pueblo
• Saturday Vigil — 5:30 PM, English, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Peña Blanca
• Sunday — 8:30 AM, English, St. Bonaventure Mission, Cochiti Pueblo
• Sunday — 10:00 AM, English, San Felipe Mission, San Felipe Pueblo
• Saturday — 5:00 PM, Rosary and Confessions, Peña Blanca
• Tuesday — 5:00 PM Daily Mass, Peña Blanca Chapel
• Thursday & Friday — 9:00 AM Daily Mass, Peña Blanca Chapel
• 1st Friday — 5:30 PM, Santa Barbara Mission, Sile

Religious Education and Sacraments

The Parish of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe provides sacramental preparation and religious education across all of its mission churches, including Santo Domingo. The parish's Religious Education Coordinator, Estefanita Calabaza, prepares students for the sacraments, including Confirmation — celebrated for Santo Domingo students by Archbishop Wester and Deacon Maurice Rodriguez on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

• Religious Education Coordinator: Estefanita Calabaza
• Sacramental preparation for Confirmation and other sacraments
• Confirmation celebrated with Archbishop Wester (April 25, 2026)

Parish Staff and Clergy

The mission is staffed and visited by the wider parish team led from Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Peña Blanca. Deacon Maurice Rodriguez assists at sacramental celebrations including Confirmation.

• Deacon Maurice Rodriguez
• Religious Ed Coordinator Estefanita Calabaza
• Archbishop John C. Wester (Archdiocese of Santa Fe) — visitor for Confirmations

Visiting Santo Domingo (Kewa Pueblo)

From I-25 north of Albuquerque or south of Santa Fe, take the Santo Domingo / NM-22 exit, drive north on NM-22 to Indian Service Route 84, turn left, and follow Route 84 to Tesuque Street. At the fork, stay right on Tesuque Street; the mission church is on the left side, at 134 Tesuque Street, Kewa Pueblo, NM 87052. The mission is open during services and visitors are warmly welcomed. Photography and recording of ceremonies are typically not permitted; visitors attending the August 4 feast day are encouraged to arrive early and check tribal rules.

• Address: 134 Tesuque Street, Kewa Pueblo, NM 87052
• Phone: (505) 382-6819
• Office of the Pueblo: 505-465-2214
• Off I-25 via the Santo Domingo / NM-22 exit