The people at the centre were very friendly and gave us some good advice. Basically, to visit a Native American pueblo, you should phone before hand and ask if you are able to visit. We did this and they were very welcoming. Taos (pronounced Tows (as in cow) pueblo was 1.5hrs drive north of Santa Fe. We set off.
You must park in the area designated and register your arrival. $US16 to enter. You must wear appropriate clothing and behave in a respectful manner. It was hot and bright in the sun!
We had to wait for the next guided tour which was beginning in half an hour and were told to walk freely around the pueblo and enter any pueblo building which advertised itself as a vendor.
We were welcomed by the shop keepers to the home of the 'Red Willow People' (Taos Pueblo, New Mexico).
This is the pueblo plaza. Within, you will see wood structures called drying racks that are used seasonally to dry corn, meats and berries. Hlaumma ranges from 1-5 stories high. Taos Pueblo is known to have inspired what is now known as 'southwestern architecture'. Each door is an entrance to a privately owned home. Homes are passed down from generation to generation & maintained by each family.... This maintenance includes plastering with adobe, roof repair and woodwork, roughly every six months. Currently, there are approximately five families who live full-time on this pueblo. Other families frequent their properties often. This is probably because there are no modern conveniences except for propane gas. No running water, no sewage, only gas powered refrigeration. Each family must cart their own water.
David was very interested in adobe mounds called 'hornos' (Spanish) to bake bread (below). First a fire is build with cedar wood, then as the wood burns to ash, it is removed and bread is placed inside then cooked to perfection!
The St Jerome Church was built in 1850. The Catholic St Jerome church is a registered National Historic Landmark and is so named after the pueblo's patron saint. The roof beams are fine, hand carved. The central altar figure is the Virgin Mary, which along with several other santos were brought by early Spanish missionaries. To the right of the altar is a casket, symbolic of Jesus Christ. Mass is conducted on Sunday mornings. (No photography allowed inside the church.)
The picture below is of the ruins of the St Jerome Church, originally constructed in 1619. During the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the church was destroyed in an effort to remove Spanish reign from the territory. The revolt included all pueblos in New Mexico and was the only time in US history that a tribe was successful in removing a large group of foreign inhabitants. After Spanish re-conquest in 1692, it was rebuilt.
In 1847, during the US war with Mexico, the US Army attacked Taos Pueblo in retaliation to the murder of Taos Governor, Charles Bent. It was believed the Taos Indians participated in the murderous act that was led by revolutionaries looking to overthrow the US government in a town where Spanish rule predated the existing command. During the dispute, sanctuary was sought inside the church by men, women and children of the pueblo, only to result in total destruction of the church and the people inside. The bell tower is all that still stands today and the courtyard became a place of burial thereafter.
The adobe wall is a remnant of a barrier that protected the people from enemy tribes. Four watchtowers (gone now) stood at each corner of the pueblo to keep an eye out for enemies.
Taos pueblo dogs - enjoying the shade!
Red Willow Creek, also known as the Rio Pueblo de Taos, is the source of drinking water for the residents of the pueblo. Its source of origin is the sacred Blue Lake located high in the mountains of Taos Pueblo. In the 1900's, by executive order, the lake was considered to be a part of Carson National Forest. This order allowed the invasion of non-tribal members into land considered sacred by the people of Taos Pueblo. This resulted in a 64 year legal battle with the government! In 1970, Blue Lake was returned on the basis of freedom of religion.
Tribal land mass is over 100 000 acres. Most of the land is the mountain area known as the Sangre de Cristo. Still today, hunting and fishing in the mountains are still a part of the culture.
Taos Indians today speak the unwritten, unrecorded Tiwa language. Tiwa is passed orally from generation to generation in the home. Tiwa dialect is one of five major languages spoken by the pueblos in New Mexico.
You will find many types of arts and crafts, including leather and drums which are part of timeless tradition. Pottery is made from natural brown earth clay with flecks of mica.
Our guide was a wonderful, young lady, who told us that she was a student and had to apply for the job on an annual basis, based on her GPA. She worked for tips. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit!
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