PrintTaos Pueblo
EnlargeNo one knows for sure when the massive five-story adobe structure was built, but estimates are that it was probably between A.D. 1000 and A.D. 1450. Today, Taos Pueblo is one of New Mexico’s most impressive structures, and though it’s both a World Heritage Site and National Historic Landmark, it’s also home to about 150 Taos Pueblo Indians, some of whom still live within its thick adobe walls without electricity or running water.
Pueblo is the name of both the structure itself and the Native American tribe (Taos Pueblo) who lives here (there are about 2,000 others who live on their surrounding tribal land), so-called by the Spanish because they lived in communal buildings and weren’t nomadic, like the others that the explorers had seen.
“[Pueblo Indians] have lived here constantly,” says Tomacita Tedesco, a Taos Pueblo Indian who lives on tribal land and gave tours of her ancestral home while she was in college. “It was built as a fortress. There was a wall that went all around the Pueblo, and the homes [two-room apartments with entrances from above] didn’t have doors. We were farmers and we always had a lot of food. When we’d get attacked by other tribes, we’d climb up the ladder and pull it in behind us.”
Tedesco didn’t grow up in the Pueblo, but she visited frequently for special occasions, such as San Geronimo Day (honoring the Taos Pueblo Indians’ patron saint), Christmas Eve, and Christmas. “A lot of our Native feast days are held on Catholic holidays—almost all of them, in fact,” says Tedesco. “In addition, we have our Native religion, but we don’t tell anyone outside about this.”
Known for their mostly unadorned sparkly mica pottery and for their ceremonial dances, the Taos Pueblo Indians have inspired many. “From the established historic art colony in the nearby town of Taos to the Pueblo itself, it has been said that this is ‘where great souls would come,’” says Marcie Winters, tourism coordinator with Taos Pueblo. “It’s one of the most painted and photographed of all the pueblos.”
For updated information on Taos Pueblo’s hours and days (it’s closed to the public on certain ceremonial days), visit www.taospueblo.com.
