Saturday, November 6, 2010

That's My World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday, Blue Monday

 Please click on photos to enlarge!
While in New Mexico, my husband and I visited the Taos Pueblo in Taos.
This pueblo is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the USA.
The Native legends and detailed oral history trace the existence back thousands of years.
The native language is Tiwa.  It is unwritten, unrecorded and will remain so.
The details of the traditional values of the Taos Tribe are guarded as sacred and are not divulged.

These adobe structures are believed to be well over 1000 years old.
Only the doorways have been added in recent times.
At one time the only entryway into the homes was by a ladder through a hole in the rooftops.
The rooftop entrances also served as a safe guard against intruders of the Pueblo.  
If an enemy was approaching, the ladders were pulled from the ground levels to the rooftops.

The Pueblo maintains a restriction of NO ELECTRICITY and NO RUNNING WATER within the sacred village.

The exterior walls are plastered annually with adobe due to the exposure of the four seasons.

Tourists visit here but must adhere to a rather lengthy set of rules NOT to be broken while in this sacred village.
I had to pay a fee to photograph inside the village and there were even more rules regarding the use of a camera.

Many families still live in the Pueblo or just outside the surrounding walls.
Some of the homes have been converted to shops for selling traditional crafts.

This lovely Indian woman sells her own photography of the Pueblo.
I bought several boxes of Christmas cards showing the snow covering the church entrance.
I really enjoyed spending time with this lady.
She told me her name but I think it is best not to reveal it.
 She was very sweet about my desire to photograph her in her shop and
you can see part of one of her winter photographs in the background.

I scanned one of the cards that I purchased.
It is of San Geronimo Church that was built in 1850 and is a registered National Historic Landmark.
It is one of the youngest buildings in the village.
Today about 3/4 of the population shares in some of the Catholic practices, while the native rituals persevere 100% in daily life.
The Native religion is verbally passed down from generation to generation.
Their religious shrines, Kivas, are off  limits to non tribal members.

I found myself photographing this cross multiple times because it was so beautiful against the blue sky.

The sky changed dramatically during the time we were there on October 5, 2010.

There are many Pueblos throughout Arizona and New Mexico.
This is just one...some don't allow any tourism, others only for festivals, some NOT for festivals...
The Taos Pueblo has welcomed visitors for thousands of years.
This has been a crossroads for trade and the tradition continues today with the activity of the many shops and vendors located throughout the village.

This post is linked to:
That's My World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday, Blue Monday

37 comments:

Eeyore said...

Wow! Lovely photos and a piece of history of which I had very little knowledge. Very nice post.

kmoyama said...

I have never heard about the Taos Pueblo before. Thank you for sharing their story and photographs! Interesting post!

Sandra said...

Wow! What a great history lesson. Makes me want to take a trip out there. Thank you so much for taking the time to type everything out.

Lovely pictures.

Rick said...

A wonderful story told well with beautiful photos. We (non-natives) sometimes think we were the first ones here ! Although I think even the natives came from somewhere else - but many hundreds of years before.

Lovely photo you scanned in too.

Lesley said...

What an interesting place. I had no idea they were so exclusive and restrictive. But I'm glad you were able to get some photos.

Shy said...

Interesting place. What a great architecture

http://www.jnjmilestones.com/2010/11/blue-monday-mall-blues.html

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Thank you for sharing (and for taking the pictures). A perfect post celebrating and respecting these wonderful places.

Auntie E said...

Very nice photos, Love the adobe houses. Looks like a storm brewing.
Happy Blue Monday.

Donnie said...

What lovely photo's on this blue Monday especially the smiling woman. Happy Blue Monday.

SmilingSally said...

What an interesting trip.

Happy Blue Monday, Carolyn.

Deborah Kay at The Paint Splash said...

These are beautiful photos. I am sharing part of my 100th blog giveaway today so hope you can come by! Blessings Debbie

EG CameraGirl said...

How nice that they allowed you to take photos even though you had to pay for the honour. I have never been there.

Anonymous said...

Fascinating history into their culture & rules!
You took some wonderful photos there, especially the last 2 - I agree that the white crosses photograph beautifully against that blue sky!!!

Lola said...

Beautiful captures!

Happy RT!

Lola & Nora:)
btw Here’s my quick RT link!

Martha Z said...

Great job, Carolyn, of showcasing this interesting community. We visited there several years ago but I don't recall the colorful doors.

Becky K. said...

I would have been right there with you taking photos of the cross against the sky. Gorgeous!

Ralph said...

The christmas card is a true work of art, and the artist has the artistry and pride in her craft. The ruby doors on the ancient adobe stands out nicely. The only modern addition to the dwellings, the simple doors enhance the adobe perfectly...

Photo Cache said...

NM remains on my top spots to visit in the US. What lovely adobe house and I'm glad they added color to the doors. You were so lucky to have visited here.

Penelope Notes said...

The colored doors add so much to the structures as does the snow on the card. Incredibly interesting that there is no written or recorded language of a people that must rely solely on word of mouth. Thanks for sharing these great shots, Carolyn!

Annie Jeffries said...

Splendid set of photos. The pueblos of the southwest are a marvel.

Kay L. Davies said...

Taos has long been on my list of places to visit, now I'll add the pueblo to my list, although your photos are almost as good as a visit. Just beautiful.
-- K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Sylvia K said...

Your photos and post are superb, Carolyn! I have long been fascinated by Taos, its people, its history! I've read a great deal about it, but have never visited and it is one of those places on my list as well! Thanks for this! Marvelous! Enjoy your week!

Sylvia

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

fantastic buildings.

Sistertex said...

What a great history lesson and tour. Beautiful photos. Wonderful job all around! Thank you so much for sharing it all.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Great post. Wonderful photographs. The pueblo is beautiful.

Liz said...

Beautiful photos. Happy RT!

My entries:
Moms... Check Nyo
Yummy-as-can-be

Chubskulit Rose said...

Interesting beautiful photos!

My Rubies

Gaelyn said...

What an awesome opportunity to take photos here, and you did it justice. I love the bright accent colors against the old adobe. These places are very well maintained. Great post.

Unknown said...

what a wonderful tour of a beautiful place and its beautiful people

indicaspecies said...

An interesting post on Taos Pueblo, and I admire your photography.

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

Hunters of crimson
implore, “Give us vermilion
and scarlet—more, more!”



RT: Tenacious

Dianne said...

that last photo is breathtaking!
all your photos are stunning, what an amazing place

Francisca said...

Carolyn, I very very much enjoyed visiting the Taos Pueblo through your lens and your informative and sensitive words. This kind of post makes blogging a real joy. Thank you.

Johnny Nutcase said...

what a cool place! I love adobe structures, so neat. All the photos are awesome, but that last one is especially cool!

Janie said...

I've been to Taos, but I didn't visit the Pueblo. Obviously, I missed something very special.
Thanks for the photos and the history. This is a fascinating place.

Samson said...

Hi Carolyn, how you doing, I took a small break after my wedding.... its nice to visit here after a long time, enjoyed all the photo's. looks like you had a good time in NM, love the last photo in this series also love the photo's from Haloween, Noah is adorable :)

I've updated my wedding photos, stop by when you get a chance.

michael bird said...

Another great blog, Carolyn. Did you visit D.H. Lawrence's digs while you were in Taos? Did my senior thesis on three of his novels back at Notre Dame a while back.