The Sandia Mountains are a geographic feature of the middle Rio Grande Valley that figure in the mythology and history of many cultures. Indigenous Tewa peoples named them Oekuu P'in, or Turtle Mountain, because the range resembles a turtle when viewed from the north. In Spanish, Sandia means watermelon, and it is believed the Spanish named the mountains for the pinkish color of the peaks at sunset. People of Sandia Pueblo instead believe the Spanish gave them that name because they farmed squash that looked like watermelon. The name is now used for both the mountain range and the Pueblo.