The Santo Domingo people call their pueblo Kiuw. The word "pueblo" comes from the Spanish for "village." It refers both to a certain style of Southwest Indian architecture, characterized by multistory, apartment-like buildings made of adobe (pueblo), and to the people themselves (Pueblo). Rio Grande Pueblos are known as eastern Pueblos; Zunis, Hopis, and sometimes Acomas and Lagunas are known as western Pueblos.

The Santo Domingo Pueblo is situated on the east bank of the Rio Grande, thirty to thirty-five miles southwest of Santa Fe, near the Camino Real and modern highways. The people spoke a Keresan dialect.