Zuñi Indians, a branch of the Pueblo Indians. They speak the Zuñi language, which makes up its own language family. The ancestors of the Zuñi came to what is now western New Mexico some time before the 11th century. The Zuñis numbered several thousand when discovered by a Spanish expedition in 1539. Soon after, they became the first Pueblo Indians to be conquered by the Spanish explorer Coronado on his expedition from Mexico. The Zuñis twice revolted against the Spanish, in 1680 and again in 1703. In 1877 the United States government established a reservation, Zuñi Pueblo, for them in western New Mexico. The Zuñis engage in sheep raising, farming, and the making of turquoise and silver jewelry.