San Ildefonso Pueblo set to reclaim 7,000 acres

A New Mexico tribe is completing a settlement to reclaim 7,000 acres of ancestral land.

San Ildefonso Pueblo filed a claim with the Indian Claims Commission Act for 70,000 acres. Legislation extinguished the claim for $7 million, which the tribe used to buy about 7,000 acres in the Santa Fe National Forest.

"Now we can go to church without having somebody open the door for us," Lt. Gov. Perry Martinez told the Associated Press. The land will be used for cultural, subsistence and other purposes.

The legislation also allows Santa Clara Pueblo to buy about 750 acres.

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Pueblo will regain lands (AP 2/15)