It was dedicated on May 29, 1940, as part of the Cuarto Centenario commemoration[4] (400th Anniversary) of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's entry into New Mexico.

The ruins of Kuaua Pueblo were excavated from 1934 to 1939[7] by an archaeological team led by Edgar Lee Hewett and Marjorie F. Tichy (later Lambert).

The excavation revealed a south-to-north development over the village's three centuries of existence, as well as six kivas built in round, square and rectangular shapes.

The site is particularly noted for a series of pre-contact (pre-1541) murals that were recovered from a square kiva in the pueblo's south plaza.

These murals represent one of the finest examples of pre-contact Native American art to be found anywhere in North America.