The Zuni, the Pueblo people of New Mexico, believe that Awonawilona, the creator of the world, became the Sun. Awitelin Tsita, the Sun-Father, and Apoyan Tachu, the Earth-Mother, are the parents of all living creatures. They are celebrated in Pueblo religion through the worship of Katsina/Kachina, divine and ancestral spirit beings who interact with humans.

The sun face or sun shield is an important symbol in the agricultural society of the Zuni. It symbolizes abundance, continuity, stability, positive energy, hope, happiness and peace. Associated with warmth and prosperity, it is a common motif in jewelry and pottery.
 

Materials and motifs used to represent the Katsina have symbolic associations:

Turquoise – spiritual stone of oneness and unity

Mother of Pearl/white – imagination and adaptability

Coral/red – protective and soothing

Jet/black – stability and protection

A divided forehead – uniqueness of a person, a person’s multifaceted role as part of the family and community, and the non-stop cycle of sunrise and sunset

Round mouth – continuity of life

Feather-like designs - rays of the Sun