Putiidhem facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Putiidhem
Village
Putiidhem Location in California
Country	United States
State	California
County	Orange
City	San Juan Capistrano
Time zone	UTC-8
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7
ZIP	92675
Area code(s)	949

Putiidhem was a large native village of the Acjachemen people, also known as Juaneño since their relocation to Mission San Juan Capistrano. The site was a mother village, the primary settlement of the tribe that spawned other villages. It was situated in what is currently San Juan Capistrano, California just off Interstate 5, about a mile north of the mission.

History

The site of the village, used from approximately 1200 CE until 1776 when the Acjachemen were moved to Mission San Juan Capistrano, is variously described as an ancient/pre-historic village and as a gravesite. The site, when an open field, was used until recently as a sacred site by the Juaneños. For many years, rodeos and circuses were held at that location.

Present day

The property is currently occupied by the gymnasium, athletic fields, and performing arts complex of JSerra Catholic High School. The construction of this complex was unsuccessfully blocked by the Juaneño, who protested after human remains were discovered at the site, thus giving it cultural value. One faction of the Juaneño approved of the development, while two others did not. Critics of the development have noted that the high school is named after Junípero Serra, the founder of the same local mission that originally displaced the residents of the Putiidhem village. Other critics have called the development an extension of America's removal of Indigenous people and an erasure of Acjachemen culture. The high school itself has addressed the history of the site in their student newspaper, The Paw Print. Custodians of the high school made claims of paranormal activity at the complex.