For centuries the Rio Grande Pueblos have existed. The natives of these pueblos lived a sedentary, agricultural lifestyle along the valley of the Rio Grande River. The Pueblos had been mining turquoise at Cerrillos for hundreds of years. The Cerrillos Mine, located twenty miles south of Santa Fe, was the largest and most productive of the Indian turquoise mines. Their mining endeavors stretched even further away into Nevada, Colorado and California. They made the stone into beads and jewelry which they traded to other Indian tribes with which they came into contact. They traded for shells of many colors and shapes which they made into beads, carved into animal life forms and used as bases for their unique mosaic craft. The stone material called Jet, which is a form of coal, had also been used in their mosaic designs for many years. It is still used frequently today in combination with their Native American turquoise jewelry.
 
During the ancient times, the pueblo Indians used whatever red colored rocks they could find to add contrasting color. Jasper or Agate were commonly used. The Spanish later introduced them to coral and from that point on it became a very popular material to be used in the making of their sterling silver jewelry. The coral was brought in from Italy and as far away as the Orient. A lot of the coral was made into polished beads and used in combination with their turquoise jewelry. The material was used extensively and is still used today in their mosaic designs. During the 1860's, the Navajos learned to do silver work and from there the Pueblos learned the techniques from them. Individual silversmiths created their sterling silver jewelry in each of the Pueblos. The Santo Domingans were very creative and industrious in their work and today are the most productive of all the villages in the art of silver work and bead making. They are the leading New Mexico pueblo Native American jewelry makers although the Cochiti, Taos and Santa Clara villages do contribute to a large extent. Their styles and designs have been moderately influenced by the Zunis, Navajos and Hopis.