[2] Archaeologists believe that the Keresan-speaking residents of Zia are descendants of the Ancestral Puebloan people of the Four Corners region, who migrated to the Jemez River Valley sometime in the 13th century.

The first missionary was assigned to the Zia in 1598 by Don Juan De Oñate, and by 1613, a church and convent had been built by tribal members.

Soldiers led by Governor Domingo Jironza Petriz de Cruzate sacked the pueblo, killing 600 people and taking 70 Zia Indians captive.

Zia farming produced a wide array of crops, but the most important of these were corn, beans, and squash, nicknamed the "three sisters".

Other minor crops were grown in personal, individual gardens, such as peppers, onions, chiles, and tobacco.

[8] The natives of the southwestern United States, including the Zia, were known for their "pueblo homes" made of adobe.

Adobe, the building-block, is made by mixing clay, sand, water and organic materials such as sticks, straw, and dung.

Meanwhile, a hole is dug where the new building is to be constructed and supporting poles are planted firmly in the ground to make a frame.

Over 300 kachinas are present in the worship, and the Zia held religious festivals and ceremonies in which they ask them to bring rain and make their crops grow.

Pottery is a widely recognized art form and an important part of daily life in Zia Pueblo.

Due to the fine quality of the craftsmanship and the poor agricultural land where the pueblo is located, pottery has been historically important for trade.

[10] Pots are made by mixing clay and ground basalt with water and then coiling ropes of this mixture into specific shapes.

Their solar symbol, a red circle with groups of rays pointing in four directions, is painted on ceremonial vases, drawn on the ground around campfires, and used to introduce newborns to the Sun.

The state government of New Mexico guides people to educational resources on the appropriate use of the sun symbol at Zia Pueblo and at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, including information on receiving permission for commercial use and asking for the symbol be used respectfully in civil use.

[17] A resolution was passed in 2014, by the National Congress of American Indians to recognize the Zia pueblo’s right to the symbol.