An exploration into the past

From the Coastal Plain to the High Desert

July 29-30, 2014

THE LAND OF TAOS

TAOS PUEBLO, TAOS MOUNTAIN, RANCHOS DE TAOS 

Fig. 1 - Map of the Taos area

TAOS

      Taos Pueblo is the northernmost village of the Pueblo people. The name also refers to a region, and it is part of other geographic designations. Taos Pueblo is a reservation and its buildings have been inhabited for over 1,000 years. In the past, their lands included Taos Mountain, which they consider a sacred place. Only a portion of it remains within the reservation. The other side is now Taos Ski Valley, a popular winter resort that operates in public lands. Outside the reservation area is the City of Taos and its suburb Ranchos de Taos; both are of historic interest since they developed during the Spanish-Mexican colonial period with land grants.

TAOS REGION VIDEO

TAOS PUEBLO

Fig, 2 - Entrance to Taos Pueblo

     

      Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years. 

Fig. 3 - Taos Pueblo layout plan

       UNESCO declaration: "Taos is a remarkable example of a traditional type of architectural ensemble from the pre-Hispanic period of the Americas and unique to this region which has successfully retained most of its traditional forms to the present day. Thanks to the determination of the latter-day Native American community, it appears to be successfully resisting the pressures of modern society."

Fig. 4 - Taos Pueblo, north cluster with Taos Mountain in the background

       

The village consists of two clusters of houses, each built from sun-dried mud brick, with walls ranging from more than two feet (70 cm) thick at the bottom to about one foot (35 cm) at the top. Each year the walls are refinished with a new coat of adobe plaster as part of a village ceremony. The compound is divided by a stream coming from Taos Mountain that is a small tributary of the Rio Grande. The building clusters are on the north and south side of the stream.

The new church and a large plaza are a focal center of the community.

Fig. 5 - The South cluster with levees and stream in front

       

      The rooms are stepped back so that the roofs of the lower units form terraces for those above. The units at ground level and some of those above are entered by doors that originally were quite small and low; access to the upper units is by ladders through holes in the roof. The living quarters are on the top and outside, while the rooms deep within the structure were used for grain storage. 







        The roofs are made from cedar logs, their ends protruding through the walls; on the logs are mats of branches on which are laid grasses covered with a thick layer of mud and a finishing coat of adobe plaster. It is a massive system of construction but one well suited to the rigours of the climate.  The technology used is similar to the building methods of the ancestral Pueblo people from afar.

Fig. 6 - A domestic unit with oven in front

      
 In a way, the complexity, size and multiple levels of Taos Pueblo is similar to the Big Houses of Chaco Canyon, but with a key difference.  The Big Houses were enclosed in one large complex, turned inwards inside a D shape perimeter.  Taos's buildings emulate the sacred mountain that stands behind them.  They explode outwards as they rise and alley-ways and paths separate the different elements.

Fig. 7 - The new Taos Pueblo Church

Fig. 8 - Taos Church interior

       The original mission church, convent and cemetery lie in ruins in the northwest corner  The complex was burned during the 1680s Pueblo rebellion, and again by the U. S. army during a battle of submission.  The existing church was built by the plaza during the XIX century. 

Fig. 9 - Taos Church enclosed atrium

Fig. 10 - Section of south cluster

Fig. 11 - A master potter in his Taos workshop

        The two main adobe building complexes retain their traditional three-dimensional layout. Certain features, such as doors and windows, have been introduced over the last century. Taos Pueblo represents a natural evolutionary process: it has adjusted to the changes of the times, retaining the key elements of their culture.  There are six Kivas in the complex, most clans maintain live-in residences within the village, although the majority of the people live in modern homes within other areas of the reservation.  The ancient complex has no electricity or water.

TAOS MOUNTAIN

       The top of Taos Mountain was named Wheeler Peak in 1950. It is, at 13,167 feet (4,013 m), the highest peak in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is located northeast of Taos and south of Red River in the northern part of the state, and just 2 miles (3.2 km) miles southeast of the ski slopes of Taos Ski Valley. It lies in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It is considered a sacred mountain by the Tiwa people of Taos Pueblo. Within the land that is part of the reservation lies the Blue Lake, the main source of water for the village and a sacred location for ceremonies. The reservation lands are not open to the public.

Fig. 12 - Taos Mountain behind Taos Pueblo

Fig. 13 - Hiking Taos Mountain.
View at about 11,500 feet high

Fig. 14 - Wild mountain goats in the final stretch at near 13,000 with Wheeler Peak in the background

Fig. 16 - View from the top of Taos Mountain
At 13,161 feet high, Wheeler  Peak is the highest in NM
Taos Ski Valley slopes are seen across the valley

Fig. 15 - A curious resident

Fig.17 - Marker at the top

Fig. 18 - A rest at the top

     There are several trails to Wheeler Peak.  They all begin at the parking lots of Taos Ski Valley. It is wise during the summer to start early in the morning because of the threat of thunderstorms and high winds. The weather can change very quickly and the final hour is above the tree line, without any protection. The view from the top is exhilarating.  During the final hour of walking expect the company of wild mountain goats.

RANCHOS DE TAOS
SAN FRANCISCO MISSION CHURCH

Fig. 19 - San Francisco de Asis Mission, 1816
Entrance atrium

         The Spanish colonists were well established in New Mexico by the 18th century, a period when Spain was at the height of its imperial power in North America. Around this time, civilian Spanish and Mexican families began to settle permanently in Ranchos de Taos, in northern New Mexico. By the mid-18th century, this Catholic agricultural village founded the San Francisco de Assisi Mission. The Franciscans supervised the construction of the historic church between 1772 and 1816. A National Historic Landmark, the Spanish Colonial San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church is a well-preserved adobe building in the heart of the community at the center plaza of the Ranchos de Taos Historic District.

Fig. 20 - San Francisco Church Mission in Ranchos de Taos
The massive buttresses help stabilize the thick adobe walls and give this church its particular character

Fig. 21 San Francisco de Asis Mission
Side entrance to Sacristy

    
      
     Because of its imposing form and sculpted body, the church is a favorite subject for artists. Ansel Adams photographed the church for his Taos Pueblo art book and Georgia O’Keeffe painted a series of perspectives of the church. O’Keeffe once described it as “one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards.” 

 

Fig. 22 - Side window at San Francisco Mission Church

Key words: Texas 4th-7th grade Social Studies, Native American tribes, habitat and lifezones, cultural adaptation, Anazasi, Ancestral Pueblo, Rio Grande cultures, New Mexico and Colorado tribes, Paleo-Indians, Archaic and Classic Indians of the Southwest, Geography of the Rio Grande, Mesa Verde, Chaco, Taos, Acoma, Indian ruins, archaeological artifacts, teacher resources, Fund for Teachers, Texas.