By Sharon Kurtz
It’s mid-morning under a brilliant blue sky punctuated with billowing white clouds and bird song, while the majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains dominate the horizon. Adobe dwellings with thick sunbaked mud brick walls line the dirt-packed road as we approach the meeting point in the dusty walled courtyard of the adobe church to wait for our volunteer guide.
If it weren’t for this young man’s appearance in Nikes and cargo shorts, nothing I’ve seen so far would alert me to the fact that this is modern day; it could just as easily be a morning in 1850, the date this San Geronimo Chapel was constructed in the Taos Pueblo of Northern New Mexico. Our guide will take us to areas of significance in the village, and touch on the highlights of the culture, history and people of the 1,000-year-old living community.
Surrounded by fertile pastures and farmlands, Taos Pueblo is the home of the Red Willow people, named after Red Willow Creek, the gentle stream that serves as the primary source of water for the village, both for drinking and for religious ceremonies. This ancient adobe village is an enduring symbol of tradition and perseverance.
Historic Taos Pueblo & UNESCO Site
Home to the Tiwa-speaking Puebloan people, the Taos Pueblo is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States. The northern-most of New Mexico’s 19 pueblos, it is considered to be one of the most significant historical cultural landmarks in the world – it is the only living Native American community that is designated as both a National Historic Landmark and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO who stated “Taos Pueblo, because of the living culture of its community has successfully retained most of its traditional practices up to the present day”.
Who Lives in the Pueblo?
Approximately 150 people live within the Pueblo full time. The residents live without electricity and running water so their ancient way of life may be preserved. They rely on skylights or kerosene lamps for light and use outhouses that are hidden from public view. Most of the approximately 4,000 members of the Pueblo tribe live in conventional homes outside the village walls, but occupy their Pueblo houses for ceremonial occasions.
The Taos community is known for being one of the most private, secretive, and conservative pueblos. Tribal members will almost never speak of their religious customs to outsiders, and because their language has never been written down, much of the culture remains unknown to the rest of the world.
How were the buildings constructed?
The Pueblo is made entirely of adobe – earth mixed with water and straw, then either poured into forms or made into sun-dried bricks. The multi-storied Hlaauma, with walls three or four feet thick, is one of the most photographed and painted buildings in the Western Hemisphere. According to Ilona Spruce, tourism director for the Taos Pueblo, the adobe structure was designed as a lookout post so residents could see enemies approaching.
Built roughly 1,000 years ago, the adobe dwellings are composed of many individual homes, built side by side and in layers, with common walls but no connecting doorways. The average home in the pueblo consists of two rooms. The outer room is used for living and sleeping and the inner one is used for cooking, eating, and storage. The roofs are supported by vigas – large timbers hauled down from the mountain forests. Smaller pieces of wood – pine or aspen latillas – are placed side-by-side on top of the vigas; then the whole roof is covered with packed earth. Access to upper rooms is by ladders through holes in the roof.
The First European Explorers
The first contact with outsiders was in the late 1500’s when the Spanish came up through New Mexico as far north as where Taos is today. Spanish explorers stumbled on Taos Pueblo as they searched for the fabled Seven Cities of gold. According to Taos legend, Taos women rubbed mica on pueblo walls to make them shine. As Ms. Spruce described that “the walls looked like they were covered in specks of gold.” The entire Taos valley was irrigated, and when the Spanish arrived and saw the shimmering gold pueblo surrounded by fields of corn, “they thought there was wealth here.”
The Pueblo was first conquered in the sixteenth century by the Spaniards, followed by revolts and reconquests several times over. Even though the Puebloans in the end accepted colonial rule and the accompanying Catholicism, they retained their secret religion and beliefs. They have kept their beliefs and language guarded from scholars for years. The Red Willow people are content to preserve their own culture. They have an unbroken, continuous history and a deep understanding of their past.
What is the history of the Pueblo Church?
The present-day San Geronimo, or St. Jerome Chapel, was completed in 1850 to replace the original church which was destroyed in the war between the U.S. Army and Mexico in 1847. The ruins of that church are still evident on the west side of the village. It was the first Catholic church built inside the Taos Pueblo by enslaved Taos Indians in 1619 under the direction of Spanish priests. Destroyed in the Spanish revolt of 1680, it was soon rebuilt on the same site. The bell tower and original bell are still in place.
Local Artisans of the Pueblo
Mica-flecked pottery and silver jewelry are hand-crafted by local artisans and sold at many of the individually owned curio shops within the pueblo. Today as in the past the tiwa people are skilled leather workers, and are famous for making moccasins, boots and drums. There are a growing number of contemporary Pueblo fine artists, combining Indian tradition with modern artistic expression. The black-on-black style of Native American pottery comes from here, as well as a distinct type of turquoise and traditional silver jewelry.
Feast Day Celebrations, the Powwow & Tourism
“Tourism, the greatest economic driver at Taos Pueblo,” Ms. Spruce further elaborated “was introduced in the early 20th century to entice Taos Indians to return to the village, and this coincided with the rise of the arts community in the nearby city of Taos. As many as 10,000 people visit on Feast Day alone. On Feast Day, we have foot races, traditional clowns that run along the rooftops and vendors in the courtyard. We also have generations of shop owners and artisans who sell from their homes. This is our time to show off our traditions and who we are.”
A highlight of summer in Taos is the annual Taos Pueblo Powwow. “Powwow” means a gathering of spiritual leaders, and today that refers to Indian celebrations where members of different tribes meet to sing, dance, tell stories and rekindle old friendships. One of the most popular Powwow events is the Grand Entry, where a tribal elder leads a multitude of ornately costumed dancers into the arena. The Powwow also provides a marketplace, with a wide array of vendors and artists. Booths offer jewelry, pottery, beadwork, and weaving.
If you go…
The Pueblo is generally open to visitors daily from 8:00am to 4:30pm, except when required to close for community events and ceremonies. Late winter to early spring the Pueblo closes for about 10 weeks. Please call ahead if you’ll be visiting during these times. The entry fee is $16.00 for adults, $14 for students and seniors with guided tour included in the entry fee. Photography is allowed for personal use only. Contact: www.taospueblo.com (575)758-1028.
Taos Pueblo is located near Taos, in North Central New Mexico, 120 Veterans Highway, Taos, New Mexico 87571
The Taos Pueblo is a living Native American community that has 1,000 years of tradition. Considered to be one of the most significant historical cultural landmarks in the world, a visit to Taos Pueblo and guided tour by a volunteer tribal member of the community is an experience that I hope you have once in your lifetime.
This moving excerpt from a Pueblo proverb shares in part:
“Hold on to what is good,
Even if it is a handful of earth.
Hold onto what you believe,
Even if it’s a tree that stands by itself.”
