Take a swing: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center takes a look at how baseball stitches community together

Baseball — it’s America’s pastime.

For years, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center has been thinking about doing an exhibition on Pueblo baseball.

Enter 2024 — and it’s happening.

“We’ve talked about the impact that Pueblo baseball has had on the community as a whole,” says Michelle Lanteri, IPCC head curator. “Now we’re in full force in bringing the information to the community.”

Take a swing: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center takes a look at how baseball stitches community together

“Pueblo Baseball: Stitching Our Community Together” is currently open at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center through Oct. 27.

Founded in 1976 by the 19 Pueblo tribes of New Mexico, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is a world-class museum and cultural center located in the historic 19 Pueblos District. The mission of the IPCC Campus is to serve as a gathering place where Pueblo culture is celebrated through creative and cultural experiences while providing economic opportunities to Pueblo and local communities.

Lanteri says the exhibit is full of tales of resilience, camaraderie and sheer passion of the Pueblo baseball legacy.

She says it takes viewers on a journey through interviews, dazzling photographs, gripping videos and treasured memorabilia.

Visitors will be able to witness the evolution of Pueblo baseball, where critical skills and timeless values are passed down through generations.

From nail-biting showdowns to jubilant celebrations, experience the unbreakable bond that unites players aged 15-55 from the 19 Pueblos in a spirit of fierce competition and unwavering camaraderie, she says.

Today, there are two dynamic divisions, the Northern Pueblos League and the Southern Pueblos League, and the fervent spirit of competition remains ever-present, igniting a desire for success that blazes brightly, particularly during the thrilling All-Star and end-of-season games.

“This exhibition is all about the endless candid moments in Pueblo baseball,” Lanteri says. “The exhibit boasts a Pueblo Baseball Community Scrapbook Board where folks are encouraged to showcase their own memories. We will showcase those items and memories in our community gallery.”

Lanteri says the IPCC reached out to University of New Mexico’s Center for Southwest Research to get a photo that Lee Marmon had taken of Pueblo baseball players.

“We started making moves at the end of last year and have been working until it was time to display the memories,” she says. “We worked pretty fast on this one.”

Lanteri says Gabriel Trujillo from Ohkay Owingeh had the winning baseball from St. Catherine Indian School.

“He let us borrow that and the catcher’s mitt from the 1930s,” she says. “He was integral in getting a lot of this moving for us.”

Lanteri says beyond the Pueblo communities, it’s not widely known that baseball is a 120-year-old tradition.

“When people come to the IPCC, they come to learn about Pueblo arts and baseball is one of those cultural ways,” she says. “In the photography we have on display, the community is able to be set into a place of community. It’s a place to share stories and take them in.”

In July, the Pueblo Baseball Community Gallery will open and the IPCC has been reaching out to the community for pieces to add to it.

“We want to show your stuff: gear, photos, scorecards! We’ll circulate the call for entries on social media and at the museum starting this month,” Lanteri says. “We can’t wait to hear from community members at the Pueblos; we know there are lots of stories out there.”