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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
Watching the water hit the rocks was very entertaining!
