Taos Pueblo

August 2001 -- While we were attending the AMPIC of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (in 2001), Eddie J. and I took a side trip to Taos (New Mexico). We visited the Taos Pueblo (Pueblo de Taos) . It wasn't far from the city of Taos and was only a few hours from Albuquerque where the conference was being held.  

Taos Pueblo (c. 1000-1450)

The Taos Pueblo is an ancient pueblo belonging to the Native American tribe of Puebloan people. According to Wikipedia, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the US.  About 150 people still live there full-time. You had to pay extra to take pictures. While it was interesting to see, I felt like I was intruding. Regardless, I'm sure the community was (is) quite dependent on tourism. 

An individual family home usually consists of two rooms, one for living and sleeping and one for cooking, eating, and storage. Each home is self-contained. There are common walls, but no passage ways between homes. Electricity, running water, and indoor plumbing are prohibited. Ladders were once used to enter from the top.

Taos Pueblo Church (c. 1850)

The Taos Pueblo Cemetery still contains the ruins of the old church (mission). It was the goal of Spanish missions to convert native peoples to Spanish religion and culture. According to Wikipedia, today most Taos people identify as Catholic, with ties to traditional culture.

Taos Pueblo Cemetery

Ladder to other worlds

From Visit Taos New Mexico: "Taos Pueblo is made entirely of adobe -- earth mixed with water and straw then either poured into forms or made into sun-dried bricks. Many of the walls are several feet thick. The outside surfaces of the Pueblo are continuously maintained by replastering with thin layers of mud. Interior walls are carefully coated with thin washes of white earth to keep them clean and bright―hopefully for another thousand years!"

The site is well preserved. 

At the base of the Taos Mountains: Sangre de Cristo Range

It's always good to visit Native American sites to be reminded of who settled this land first. What this country did to native peoples is shameful. We can't undo it. We can't go back. We honor Native Americans by learning their history and culture.