Last year we began Jaxon's Thematic Unit study on Native American's by studying the book The legend of Bluebonnet. This was a great introduction into Native American history. It is such a huge part of our countries history and I truly feel we do not study it enough in our education system. So this year we embarked on our first Native American road schooling journey while using the excert of the same Thematic Unit by studying Arrow to the Sun a Pueblo Indian tale.
Our entire southwest road trip all started with Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa and the amazing cultural activities they offer for children. We had heard great reviews about their programs and were extremely excited to finally be able to enjoy the resort while Jaxon learned about native americans through fun and exciting cultural activities.
As we drove up to the grand entrance we were overwhelmed with excitement for what the future of the next week would hold for us was unknown. As we turned the corner we looked around in awe of the wonderful architecture that was created to resemble an authentic Native American Pueblo. One of the many things that make the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa special is that they are located on the Santa Ana Pueblo Indian Reservation. We were then greeted by the amazing valet service who patiently unloaded our truck with my sons help the entire time without ever becoming frustrated.
As we entered the lobby we were instantly drawn to the grand room just beyond the entrance filled with couches to lounge on while playing games with the family or enjoying a quiet cocktail by the fire with someone special. As you gazed past the couches full of families enjoying games of chess and uno you could see in the distance rows of cottonwoods shadowed by the enormous Sandia mountains in the distance all framed with perfection by stormy summer skies New Mexico has to offer.
During our stay we decided on a Junior Suite since it would be the focal point of our Native American studies this year we wanted to make sure we had enough room to spread out and do any school work that was necessary during our stay.
The Junior Suites have a separate living space that comes with an additional restroom and balcony. Also giving us the option to stay in on the nights when we were all completely exhausted from the days activities.
Our bedroom had two double beds and a balcony that looked over the courtyard. The room amenities included a coffee maker and refrigerator. We choose to pay an additional fee daily to have a microwave which sometimes is well worth the money when it makes daily meals with a child just a little bit easier.
When we are in search for a place to stay having a great pool is a a huge contending factor for us. Jaxon loves to swim and having a waterslide in addition to a standard pool can entertain him for hours. Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa took the pool experience to a completely higher level by providing the children with poolside entertainment daily. Each afternoon the recreation team would have a list of activities for the kids to together enjoy by the pool. We have been to resorts that say this before and it will usually hold my sons attention for about five minutes. Not Tamaya they have completely out done themselves with daily waterslide races, water balloon throwing contests, water soaking fun and more. Every afternoon after we had completed all our activities for the day we would make our way down to the pool to all enjoy some relaxation. Jaxon would immediately check the daily activities calendar and then head to the waterslide anxiously awaiting the next game to start.
The Tamaya also has an adult only pool for those who would like to pass on all the excitement at the family pool. The Kiva Pool was located right beneath our room so you are able to see it pictured here.
During our Native American curriculum it incorporated a list of different art projects and cultural activities for the children to enjoy including Sand Painting. This worked great with the resorts Srai Wi activities. Srai Wi means "my children" in the original language of the Tamayan people. We took part in almost every activity they had to offer. The Srai Wi activities are organized by the resorts cultural staff and offered a range of amazing learning experiences for Jaxon.
Here Jaxon is studying and creating his own Sand Painting which we learned were originally performed only by medicine men during the healing process. Jaxon actually brought our Arrow to the Sun book for inspiration and created an amazing tile. This activity is actually suggested for ages 9 and up. I signed myself up for the activity and then just assisted Jaxon anytime he needed assistance which was actually not often.
Leather Stamping was something Jaxon has experienced previously with his father. On numerous occasions Jaxon and his father have used leather stamping to personalize items for Christmas gifts. This time Jaxon had the joy of making something he could take home and surprise his father with. This is a one hour class with the minimum age being ten. I can see why they would require a child at age ten for the a huge reason being if the cultural staff had five children and the parents sat by and watched rather then participating it would make for a very difficult activity.
One of my absolute favorite activities offered was the Adobe Brick Making experience. It was an experience I could never replicate and was so glad he was able to participate in such an amazing cultural activity. Here the children worked in a group to create just the right mud mixture to each be able to form their own individual adobe brick. Using the same techniques as the people of the Santa Ana Pueblo have for generations. For this activity I would highly recommend attending in the beginning of your visit to allow your brick to completely dry out before you leave. I am in the process of looking for just the right shadow box to display Jaxon's as artwork in my house. This is a one hour class that is recommended for ages five and up.
One of the more simple activities we took part in was Gourd Painting. Gourd Painting is a one and half hour activity for ages three and up. This activity gives them the ability to design and paint their own gourd to take home. Jaxon decided to paint all different types of Native American pictographs on his gourd.
One of the more interesting activities we participated in was the Painted Ponies. Until we arrived we had no concept of the depth of this activity. This activity is to educate and recreate on a personal level The Trail of Painted Ponies. A short version of this story is that the Trail of the Painted Ponies is one of the most successful Public Art projects in history. This project invited many artists in the Santa Fe area to paint life-size horse sculptures that were then placed through out the entire state of New Mexico to raise money for non-profit organizations. After being told the story we were then given a small version of the horse sculptures to create our own painted pony.
After learning about the program we had the amazing pleasure to walk the lobby and see the properties own painted pony which had been created by an artist from the Santa Ana Pueblo.
Our next activity brought us back to what we had just learned during our visit to Bandelier National Monument. During this family experience ages 3 and up are given a very short explanation of what a petroglyph is prior to being given the opportunity to paint a treasure box with your own personal interpretation of petroglyphs. For us it was a great follow up activity to reiterate what we had just learned only a few days earlier.
Jaxon's artistic interest led us to participate in the adult class Wine and Watercolor. This class took place on the back porch where students were able to gaze at the towering Sandia Mountains in the distance. They would be the subject the class would be painting. This class was a new experience for Jaxon as he had never painted with watercolors previously. The instructor was an amazingly patient woman who taught us all a valuable lesson that day. Everything in watercolor is fixable.
One of our first mornings at Tamaya we had the grand pleasure of meeting Mary. For our remainder of our stay we looked forward to turning a corner to see her smiling face. She always took the time to stop and have a conversation with Jaxon. So many times in the adult world we are so concerned about pleasing adults we forget about the younger generations that value and learn manners from simple greetings and conversations directed at them. Just the small amount of time it takes to listen to their adventures of the day makes them feel that much more special. Mary was our instructor when we learned the ancient Santa Ana tradition of bread making. The bread making class while fun was a little too simple for the amount of cooking and baking we do at home. All and all Jaxon had a wonderful time and Mary made it just a little more special as she taught Jaxon to make his bread into shapes before placing it in the traditional Huruna Oven.
Once you return after an hour Mary is there to great you with your hot bread and if you opted not to take the bread baking class don't worry she will serve you a sample of the hot bread smothered in your choice of amazing flavored butters they have to offer. Jaxon enjoyed the bread so much we returned each day that Mary was handing out samples of hot bread. As we enjoyed our bread we sat on the lawn relaxing and enjoying the Native American dancing that would perform on these days. Towards the end the dance troupe would even invite all the guests up to dance along side of them. Jaxon found this to be extremely entertaining and fun to be able to join them in their Native traditions.
Something Jaxon had longed to learn was archery. His excitement when we attended the basics of archery could not be captured in a photo or words. This was an excellent class recommended for ages 9 and up. The class showed Jaxon that not everything is as easy at it looks. It took him the entire first class to learn how to shoot the traditional bow properly. If it had not been for horseback riding he might have returned daily to master this activity. Here we had the great pleasure of meeting Eugena. She herself hunted as a small girl using archery. She was astonishing with children. We actually attended activities hoping she would be there so we could absorb all of her knowledge as we would listen to her tell us stories of growing up on her reservation.
On the Saturday Evening before our departure we joined Emmett Garcia a Native American author who wrote Coyote and the Sky and Sister Rabbit's Tricks. As we listened to him tell his stories as all his ancestors had done before we listen with enthusiasm and excitement. This was the perfect ending to an amazing trip.
This blog entry could go on and on as I have so many wonderful things to say about this property and the people here. With no expectations this resort is one I wish I could recreate in every place I visit. The property is beautifully done and well kept, the rooms were very comfortable, the pool has everything you could ever want and more. The Srai Wi Activities help us to understand and experience the Native American culture as it should be by knowledgeable people who want to share with you their traditions. I wish other resorts could learn from the passion that comes from all the people we have met during this journey. In todays world I travel so many places and people are there for one simple reason a paycheck. They don't have passion and it shows during our interactions with them. The passion that exists at Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa is felt when you walk through the door. It's not only one person you meet on your adventures at their resort is starts at the valet service when you arrive and continues as you check in at the front desk and spend your days at the pool. It was one of those vacations that you wish you could revisit year after year. Yet would it ever be as amazing as the first time you experience it? I will have to let you know.
