After a great day of no travel we head out again past Georgia O'Keefe country to the Rio Grande river and gorge as we make our way to Taos. There are two options for travel to Taos, NM.; one is the "High Road to Taos" which travels through the scenic mountain ranges including numerous ski resorts, the other follows the Rio Grande valley up to the base of those same mountains. The Rio Grande route is beautiful, watching the gorge build into a 1000 foot crack in the earth.
The Rio Grande is the fourth longest river system in the United States. Its origins are in the Rocky Mountains of South-central Colorado and ends 1,896 miles further downstream at the Gulf of Mexico. In the summer of 2001, for the first time in recorded history, the river failed to reach the Gulf and has continued to do so for numerous years after. Overuse of limited supply has been further crippled by a decade of drought.
We arrive in Taos, NM at midday and visit Taos Pueblo before checking into our RV site. The "living Pueblo" is home to hundreds of Pueblo Native Americans. It is known to the Taos Pueblo Indians as "The Place of the Red Willow", named after the Red Willow River which flows through the center of the Pueblo and today is the only source of water to its inhabitants. The Pueblo structures are over 1000 years old and tribal law dictates no electricity, plumbing or modern conveniences are allowed. In 1992, Taos Pueblo was inscribed into the UNESCO, World Heritage List as the first "living" world heritage. Our tour was given by a Red Willow Puebloan college student who was very articulate in custom and history of his people. The pueblo sits on tribal lands at the base of the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Many of the adobe residences are gift shops which sell native-made items and food. The tour was fascinating as was the history relating to the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The uprising against the Spanish started at Taos by the medicine man, Pope' who organized all area pueblos in a mass revolt which killed many Catholic Padres and civilians. Many buildings were destroyed in the revolt and it wasn't until 12 years later that the Spanish returned under a negotiated treaty.
We arrive in Taos, NM at midday and visit Taos Pueblo before checking into our RV site. The "living Pueblo" is home to hundreds of Pueblo Native Americans. It is known to the Taos Pueblo Indians as "The Place of the Red Willow", named after the Red Willow River which flows through the center of the Pueblo and today is the only source of water to its inhabitants. The Pueblo structures are over 1000 years old and tribal law dictates no electricity, plumbing or modern conveniences are allowed. In 1992, Taos Pueblo was inscribed into the UNESCO, World Heritage List as the first "living" world heritage. Our tour was given by a Red Willow Puebloan college student who was very articulate in custom and history of his people. The pueblo sits on tribal lands at the base of the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Many of the adobe residences are gift shops which sell native-made items and food. The tour was fascinating as was the history relating to the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The uprising against the Spanish started at Taos by the medicine man, Pope' who organized all area pueblos in a mass revolt which killed many Catholic Padres and civilians. Many buildings were destroyed in the revolt and it wasn't until 12 years later that the Spanish returned under a negotiated treaty.
Remains of San Geronimo Church and graveyard. In 1847 after a few Mexicans, dressed as native Americans assassinated the US Territory Governor Bent, the US Army destroyed the Church in a bombardment killing hundreds of Puebloans who had taken refuge within.
We checked into the Taos Valley RV Ranch which was just 2.5 miles from the Taos Plaza. Plan for tomorrow was bike ride into town and tour.