Baseball began in the New Mexico pueblos before 1900. The game was learned by watching soldiers and settlers and by playing in the Indian schools throughout the country. The first competition was with Albuquerque teams, mining teams, other pueblo teams, and the state penitentiary. Today, the game has evolved into a family and tribal tradition. The games are played on barren fields with enthusiastic spectator support. The players' objective is to win that game, with little thought of individual achievement; they are playing for family and tribe.
James D. Baker has a PhD in mathematics but specializes in telling stories with media. He has over 30 years of experience in industrial research and executive management in integrated media. Herbert Howell is a retired rugby coach and baseball umpire. He has umpired for 17 years in the pueblo leagues. He holds two master's degrees from the University of New Mexico, one of which is based on ethnographic research involving baseball in the pueblos. Marie A. Cordero is a Cochiti Pueblo native and has been involved in baseball her entire life. Her baseball family history now spans five generations.