When American soldiers and explorers arrived in New Mexico in the mid 1800’s the world of the Pueblo people began to change dramatically.  Time Exposures: A Photographic History of Isleta Pueblo in the 19th Century, tells the story of life on the Isleta Indian Reservation in the 19th century and its lasting effects on life today. “The landscape, the faces of the people and other elements found in these photographs truly tells the story of what life was like for our ancestors,” said Isleta Pueblo Governor Robert Benavides. “When you see the exhibit you can’t help but feel like you’ve been transported back in time.”

A committee of  Isleta Pueblo traditional leaders oversaw the development, writing and design of Time Exposures. This committee was composed of elders who have knowledge of, and responsibility for maintaining the history, customs and rituals of Isleta. Three years of discussion and debate led to the development of a plan for the exhibit and the story it tells. The committee faced two basic challenges: first, to tell the history of the Isleta people from their point of view, and second, to do so without revealing information that would diminish the privacy or integrity of their lives, practices and beliefs. "We have preserved our way of life to an important extent by keeping our traditions private and it was important to the elders to insure that the exhibit did notintrude on this boundary."

The exhibit is divided into three parts: In the first section,  the cycle of the Isleta traditional year as it was observed in the mid-19th century is detailed. As a community, Isleta lives were organized according to the seasons, farming, hunting and gathering practices and a regular sequence of ceremonies and rituals. Much has changed, but the cycles described here still define the contours of a parallel life the Isleta people live today.

The second section of the exhibition describes the arrival of the Americans and the many ways in which this influx disrupted the Isleta way of living. The exhibit shows how the Isleta people fought these changes and learned to become members of America on their own terms.

In the third section, the exhibit examines the photographs themselves as products of white culture. The exhibit explores the underlying ideas and values of the photos, and asks what kind of record they truly represent of Isleta people and ways.