White Mound was one such settlement of pit houses, farming, and storerooms, built around 700 A.D., followed by the village of Kiatuthlanna around 800 A.D., and Allantown around 1000 A.D.

In the 14th century, the Zuni inhabited a dozen pueblos containing between 180 and 1,400 rooms, while the Anasazi abandoned larger settlements for smaller ones, or established new ones along the Rio Grande.

The Zuni did move from the eastern portion of their territory to the western side, and built six new villages, Halona, Hawikuh, Kiakima, Matsaki, Kwakina, and Kechipaun.

[8][9][10] In 1539, Moorish slave Estevanico led an advance party of Fray Marcos de Niza's Spanish expedition.

Sponsored by Antonio de Mendoza who wanted Niza to "explain to the natives of the land that there is only one God in heaven, and the Emperor on earth to rule and govern it, whose subjects they all must become and whom they must serve."

Shortly afterwards, the Zuni destroyed the missions, killing two priests, and then retreated to Dowa Yalanne, where they remained for the next three years.

Observing the Zuni in the 1850s, Balduin Möllhausen noted "In all directions, fields of wheat and maize, as well as gourds and melons, bore testimony to their industry.

"[10]: 81, 83 The Zuni Reservation was created by the United States federal government in 1877, and enlarged by a second Executive order in 1883.

In 1979, it was reported that some members of the Pueblo consider he had wrongfully documented the Zuni way of life, exploiting them by photographing and revealing sacred traditions and ceremonies.

The Zuni continue to practice their traditional religion with its regular ceremonies and dances, and an independent and unique belief system.

[citation needed] The Zuni were and are a traditional people who live by irrigated agriculture and raising livestock.

Gradually the Zuni farmed less and turned to sheep and cattle herding as a means of economic development.

Their success as a desert agri-economy is due to careful management and conservation of resources, as well as a complex system of community support.

The clay is ground, sifted, mixed with water, rolled into a coil, shaped into a vessel or other design, and scraped smooth with a scraper.

A thin layer of finer clay, called slip, is applied to the surface for extra smoothness and color.

[19][20] Sales of pottery and traditional arts provide a major source of income for many Zuni people today.

[22] Brown, black and red ornamentation can be found on traditional Zuni pots that are first covered with white slip.

Common motifs are spiral scrolls edged with triangles, deer, as well as frogs, dragonflies and other symbols associated with rain and water.

In addition to pots, Zuni produce owl figurines that are covered with white slip and painted with black and red motifs before firing.

[27] These outfits can be as high as eight feet; the dancers wearing them represent "couriers of the rain deities come to bless new homes".

[30] In the novel Brave New World, one of the main characters is a man named John of British descent who grew up among a community of Zuni people in New Mexico.