Associated Press
POJOAQUE PUEBLO — A section of U.S. 84-285 has been dedicated to the late governor of Pojoaque Pueblo — who once threatened to turn the major north-south highway into a toll road to spur lawmakers to work on an Indian gambling dispute.
The Jacob Viarrial Memorial Highway, which runs three miles through Pojoaque and Nambe, includes a stretch decorated with Indian art and two overpasses emblazoned with the area's Indian names, Posuwaegeh and K'uuyemugeh — instead of more commonly known spellings of Pojoaque and Cuyamungue.
Viarrial, who was elected governor of Pojoaque Pueblo in 1978, held the post until his death in 2004 at age 58.
Before his election, the pueblo's culture ''was nonexistent,'' said Pojoaque's current governor, George Rivera, who is Viarrial's nephew.
''Uncle Jake, along with other leaders, brought the culture back,'' Rivera said.
The pueblo under Viarrial began generating substantial revenue with a casino, while fighting for years against the state's attempt to collect a portion of the gambling revenue.
In 1995, Viarrial threatened to shut down U.S. 84-285 through the pueblo or install toll booths along the stretch if the state tried to shut down Pojoaque's Cities of Gold Casino.
Ultimately, pueblo members instead slowed commuter traffic on the highway by handing out fliers.
''When it was necessary, he used the highway to make a political statement,'' Rivera said.
Last year, the pueblo settled the gambling dispute and signed a gaming compact with the state.
When Viarrial was governor, Pojoaque Pueblo also built, then expanded, a golf course and resort that critics charged used too much water in Pojoaque Valley. Rivera said the resort will ensure the pueblo's future success and ''make our ancestors proud.''
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