Taos - American Southwest - page 220

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Mary, and daughter, Helen, are on display in several rooms of the home. Wandering
through the home takes about an hour.
222 Ledoux St. & 575/758-0505 (information for both museums can be obtained at this number).
www.taoshistoricmuseums.org. Admission for each museum $8 adults, $4 children ages 6-16, free for
children 5 and under. Summer daily 9am-5pm; call for winter hours.

Taos Pueblo It's amazing that in our frenetic world more than 100 Taos
Pueblo residents still live much as their ancestors did 1,000 years ago. When you enter
the pueblo, you'll see two large buildings, both with rooms piled on top of each other,
forming structures that echo the shape of Taos Mountain (which sits to the northeast).
Here, a portion of Taos residents live without electricity and running water. The remain-
ing 2,000 residents of Taos Pueblo live in conventional homes on the pueblo's 95,000
acres.
The main buildings' distinctive flowing lines of shaped mud, with a straw-and-mud
exterior plaster, are typical of Pueblo architecture throughout the Southwest. It's archi-
tecture that blends in with the surrounding land. Bright blue doors are the same shade
as the sky that frames the brown buildings.
The northernmost of New Mexico's 19 pueblos, Taos Pueblo has been home to the
Tiwa tribes for more than 900 years. Many residents here still practice ancestral rituals.
The center of their world is still nature; women use hornos to bake bread, and most still
drink water that flows down from the sacred Blue Lake. Meanwhile, arts and crafts and
other tourism-related businesses support the economy, along with government services,
ranching, and farming.
The village looks much the same today as it did when a regiment from Coronado's
expedition first came upon it in 1540. Though the Tiwa were essentially a peaceful agrar-
ian people, they are perhaps best remembered for spearheading the only successful revolt
by Native Americans in history. Launched by Pope (poh- pay ) in 1680, the uprising drove
the Spanish from Santa Fe until 1692, and from Taos until 1698.
As you explore the pueblo, you can visit the residents' studios, sample homemade
bread, look into the San Geronimo Chapel, and wander past the fascinating ruins of the
old church and cemetery. You're expected to ask permission from individuals before tak-
ing their photos; some will ask for a small payment. Do not trespass into kivas (ceremo-
nial rooms) and other areas marked as restricted.
The Feast of San Geronimo (the patron saint of Taos Pueblo), on September 29 and
30, marks the end of the harvest season. The feast day is reminiscent of an ancient trade
fair for the Taos Indians, when tribes from as far south as South America and as far north
as the Arctic would come and trade for wares, hides, clothing, and harvested crops. The
day is filled with foot races, pole climbing done by traditional Indian clowns, and artists
and craftspeople mimicking the early traders. Dances are performed the evening of Sep-
tember 29. Other annual events include a turtle dance on New Year's Day, deer or
buffalo dances on Three Kings Day (Jan 6), corn dances on Santa Cruz Day (May 3),
San Antonio Day (June 13), San Juan Day (June 24), Santiago Day (July 25), and Santa
Ana Day (July 26). The annual Taos Pueblo Powwow, a dance competition and parade
that brings together tribes from throughout North America, is held the second weekend
of July on tribal lands off NM 522 (see “Calendar of Events,” in chapter 3). The pueblo
Christmas celebration begins on Christmas Eve, with bonfires and a procession with
children's dances. On Christmas day, the deer or Matachine dances take place (p. 38).

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