Hilton, N.M. tribe plan resort

Susan Montoya Bryan

Monday, March 22, 2004 | 9:29 a.m.

POJOAQUE PUEBLO, N.M. -- When Jacob Viarrial was a boy, he used to play with his friends in the hills above the few homes that made up this northern New Mexico pueblo.

He remembers stealing honey from the hives in the pinon and juniper trees and hunting rabbits with his 22-gauge rifle.

Pojoaque has changed since then and more changes are on the horizon as Viarrial, the longtime governor of the pueblo, leads his people into uncharted territory with a deal to build a destination resort and expand the tribe's golf course.

"It's scary. It's like running through the dark because it's unknown, but it's also very exciting," Viarrial told the Associated Press in an interview. "It's exciting that such a small tribe like us can even think of putting such a humongous project together."

Viarrial, representatives from Hilton Hotels Corp., state officials and more than 100 tribal members gathered last week for a traditional invocation with drumming and dancing and a groundbreaking ceremony for the $250 million Buffalo Thunder Resort.

Pueblo officials and a Hilton spokeswoman said the venture is the first time the hotel giant has worked with an Indian Pueblo.

But the plan has its critics.

Some in the Pojoaque Valley argue that the pueblo should not develop a resort or add greens because the region doesn't have enough water to sustain such a project and existing water users.

The valley's water supply is at the center of a decades-old lawsuit involving Pojoaque, three other pueblos, more than 50 water districts and some 2,800 individual claimants. The case began in 1966 when the state engineer sued all water users in the valley to determine the extent of Indian and non-Indian water rights.

A recently proposed settlement recognizes that the pueblos are entitled to more water than they use now because they have first water rights under federal law. But non-Indian water users are concerned they'll have to curtail their water use to give the pueblos their full share.

Despite the concerns, Viarrial is pushing ahead with the resort, saying it's Pojoaque's only chance at economic sustainability.

"Like people say, progress means change. There are some people who like it and some don't," he said. "I need to fight, and my council needs to fight, to find areas of revenue to run our government. There's no option for us."

He explained that the pueblo's current casino and hotel do not provide enough money to support the government and projects needed to improve the community.

The new resort, which has been in the works for years, will feature more than 400 rooms, convention and meeting space, a new casino, a theater and a few restaurants.

The resort will take two years to complete and will be modeled after traditional pueblo architecture. Native plants and a water recycling system are also part of the plan.

The Buffalo Thunder Resort, described by Hilton officials as a "premiere tourist destination," is expected to serve as a gateway to northern New Mexico's other pueblos, Bandelier National Monument, Taos Ski Valley and Santa Fe's renowned art galleries.

"The economic vitality that this project will bring to our surrounding areas is going to be great," said House Speaker Ben Lujan, a Democrat from nearby Nambe. "We welcome it, and we hope that we can all work together to make it something that's a benefit for our region and the whole state of New Mexico."

While Viarrial said the resort will directly help Pojoaque by creating revenue and providing hundreds of jobs, he recognized the fight over water.

"It's a fact of life that there's going to be some dry years and there's going to be wet years. Unfortunately, we're in a drought now," he said.

The governor recalled foot-high snowdrifts when he was a boy. He and his friends would make sleds out of whatever they could find and race down the hills around their homes.

Now, the snow -- when it does fall -- is only a couple of inches deep.

Viarrial said the pueblo is working with the state and others in trying to settle the water rights lawsuit, but he's hopeful a higher power will intervene.

"I think the good Lord will, one of these days, let the waters come down and everybody will be happy," he said.