Taos Pueblo

Taos Pueblo is another site that Sister Jeanne, my art history teacher, introduced me to. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark that is located about a mile outside of Taos. It’s a community of multi-storied adobe buildings that have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years.

They tell visitors that the buildings have changed very little over the years. They have added doors and windows. Originally, access was by climbing ladders to the roof and entrance through square holes to descend into the rooms. The buildings within the pueblo do not have electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. Some people do have wood stoves, according to what I was told, but heating is done with small fireplaces.

The pueblo is built on the banks of the Red Willow Creek, which is also called Rio Pueblo. The water was very high the day I visited due to all the recent rain.

The north building is the most frequently photographed part of the pueblo.

The walls of the buildings are close to a yard thick at the base and get thinner as they go up. The walls of the rooms at the top are around a foot thick. The roofs are supported with cedar beams, a layer of branches, a thick layer of mud and finished with adobe.

Each year, the buildings are refinished with another coat of mud. There is a great deal of similarity between the Earthships and Taos Pueblo in that they both use the materials they have on hand to create sustainable communities.

In the center of the plaza are racks that they said are for drying food. They also provide nice shade. There is are ovens located conveniently throughout the pueblo. I like the idea of having one under shade.

There is a church on the plaza. It it is a replacement for a church that was destroyed by the United States military during the Pueblo Massacre of 1847.

Church destroyed in the Pueblo Massacre of 1847

The warm welcome I received from all the members of the Pueblo made me feel so sad about the treatment they received at the hands of the Spaniards and the United States.

May we all learn to live together in peace and with mutual respect.

I had been looking forward to visiting Taos for decades! Sister Jeanne, my art history professor at Daemen College, had taught me about several buildings there and I wanted to see them for myself.

In addition to the buildings I knew about, I couldn’t wait to see what else I could fine in this magical place.

One thing I was looking forward to was dining out. In addition to the buildings, I was reading about the good eating available in Taos. I was getting a little tired of eating in. Not only do I have to cook the food, but I have to clean up after myself. Since I live in about 250 square feet, it’s hard to ignore a mess in the kitchen.

The first day, I ate at The Alley Cantina, the oldest building in town. Well, part of the building is 400 years old. As with any good building, you keep repairing and rebuilding.

My second day, I ate at The Farmhouse Cafe and Bakery. Everything was locally sourced, grass-fed, non-GMO, pesticide-free and handmade. I felt 75% more hip after that lunch.

My third day, I ate at Michael’s Kitchen, a place a friend had recommended to me. You know it’s good when you have to wait in line for 20 minutes – and it’s not even a peak meal period.

Huevos Rancheros, Hashbrowns and a Sopapilla

My last dining experience was another recommendation – The Adobe Bar at the Taos Inn. I looked over the menu, and decided upon Nachos. They had small and large. I asked for the small size. The waiter recommended that I get half of a small. I’m so glad he did! I think I managed to finish half of the half order.

Now that we have the dining out of the way, I’ll share more about the architectural features – in my next post.

Tag: Taos Pueblo

Taos!