It provides for education, law enforcement, judicial and municipal services to all residents on the reservation. It develops and enforces its own laws, planning and zoning regulations, building codes, etc.

It can levy taxes on sales of goods and services within the reservation boundaries. Like all governments, Sandia Pueblo has certain rights and responsibilities. Sandia Pueblo’s government is similar to that of a state government in terms of structure and authority. It is important to note that these treaties do not grant rights from the US government to Indian Nations, but rather from Indian Nations to the US government.

Tribal sovereignty is guaranteed by treaties between Indian Nations and the US government. Indian Nations are distinct political communities, having territorial boundaries, within which their authority is exclusive, and having a right to all the lands within those boundaries, which is not only acknowledged but guaranteed by the United States. The Pueblo of Sandia, like all federally recognized tribes, is a sovereign nation.

Sandia casino governor's room