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Taos Pueblo is a Native American community just outside Taos, New Mexico. It has been continuously inhabited for over 1,000 years and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Visiting
Outsiders can visit Taos Pueblo daily. Adult admission is US$16 (as of February 2024). Visitors must respect the rules of the pueblo and not venture into restricted areas. Optional guided tours run every 20 minutes throughout the day, with guides working for tips.
History
Taos Pueblo is home to a community of Taos-speaking Tiwa Puebloans. They also speak English and Spanish. The residents rarely speak their native language to outsiders.
The pueblo was constructed between 1000 and 1450 and looks much like it did when the first Spanish explorers arrived in the area in 1540. It’s set among the beautiful backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Construction
There are two structures – Hlauuma (North House) and Hlaukwima (South House), which are about the same age. They stand about five or six stories high and are separated by the Rio Pueblo de Taos.
The structures are actually several homes built adjacent to each other and in layers. They share outer walls but have no connecting doorways. In the past, the homes had no doors or windows and the entrance was through the roof.
All of the buildings are made of adobe, and visitors can sometimes see adobe bricks drying in the sun. The walls are often several feet thick, and the roofs are supported by logs brought down from the mountain forests. The outside walls of the buildings are maintained by frequent re-plastering, and we saw a few workers performing this task during our visit.
The buildings have no electricity or running water, as dictated by tradition. Most members of the community live in modern homes outside the pueblo and maintain their pueblo homes separately.
St. Jerome Chapel
St. Jerome Chapel (San Geronimo) was built in 1850. It replaced an older church destroyed in 1847 by the US Army during the Mexican-American War.
The original church was built in 1619, destroyed by the Spanish during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, and rebuilt on the same site. Its ruins are still visible in the cemetery on the west side of the pueblo.
Hlauuma
Hlauuma (North House) is one of the most photographed structures in America. It’s the largest multi-story pueblo building still in existence. Its original purpose was for defense, and access to the lower floors was by ladder up to around the early 20th century.
You can find several shops selling souvenirs; Native American art, jewelry, and pottery; and a few selling food at Hlauuma.
Hlaukwima
Hlaukwima (South House) also has a few shops selling the same goods. It’s not as photogenic as Hlauuma but still quite impressive.
