From Taos
6. To Santa Fe, from Taos via U.S. Highway 64 South to U.S. Highway 84/285 South
Taos is a laid-back town of about 5,000 residents with an eclectic population of artists, writers, skiers, farmers, environmentalists and even an occasional movie star. Taos is smaller, quieter and more isolated than Santa Fe, but its history is no less fascinating. In the last four centuries, Pueblo Indians, Spanish settlers, mountain men and American pioneers have all lived here.
Taos Pueblo, with its multi-storied adobe architecture, is the most recognized Pueblo in New Mexico and one of its oldest. The Pueblo has been continuously inhabited for more than a thousand years and was recently designated a World Heritage Site. The word Taos means "red willow" in Tiwa ("teewah"), the language spoken at Taos Pueblo.
Spanish settlers began arriving in Taos Valley in 1615 but they fled following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, led by Popé in Taos, which drove the Spanish from New Mexico. A reconquest 12 years later brought the Spanish back and by the mid-17th century, Taos had become a small but busy trading center.
Taos was home to Kit Carson after he married the daughter of a prominent Taos family in 1843. Taos was also home to a prolific group of artists who established the famous Taos Art Colony that flourished during the first half of the 20th century, and the colorful art galleries and studios that line the downtown streets draw direct parallels to that creative era.
The village of Ranchos de Taos, settled by the Spanish in 1715, is home to the famous mission church of St. Francis of Assisi, completed in 1815. This adobe church, with its massive buttresses and sculpted walls four feet thick, has been painted and photographed by more artists than any other church in the country, including Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams.
Highway 64 south of Taos follows the winding path of the Rio Grande, which flows from Colorado into Mexico. The road drops down into a narrow canyon, passing popular access spots for river rafters and historic farming villages such as Dixon, where a large population of artists now resides, drawn by the area's pastoral beauty.
Situated in the Rio Grande Valley between Taos and Los Alamos and flanked by the Jemez Mountains and the Truchas Peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Española was founded as a railroad town in 1880 when construction began on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, known as the Chile Line. At that time, a descendant of early Spanish settlers named Josefita Lucero and her husband, Amado, set up a tent and began serving food to the railroad workers. The workers must have savored the meals, and perhaps they admired the woman who cooked them, because they started calling the makeshift restaurant "La Española" (The Spanish Lady), and thus was the town's name born.
But Española's roots stretch back in history to 1598, when Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Oñate established New Mexico's first community of Spanish settlers just a few miles north of town on San Juan Pueblo land. In the 1950s, when highly customized cars known as lowriders became popular in Española, residents began calling their town the "Lowrider Capital of the World" and the nickname stuck.
Over the years, Española has grown more diverse. Today it's a city with more than 10,000 residents that serves surrounding rural communities and mountain towns. Cowboys and farmers live here, as well as artists, employees of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a large community of Sikhs who come from around the world. Residents celebrate Española's heritage with an annual fall fiesta and rowdy lowrider cruises on Friday and Saturday nights.
Nambé Pueblo dates to the 1300s, when it flourished as the Pueblo people's spiritual and cultural center, making it a prime target for the Spanish conquerors. The pueblo survived and today has a population of about 2,000 people. Located at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the pueblo lies below the popular Nambé Falls Recreation Area, where visitors can enjoy a spectacular waterfall along with lake fishing and camping.
Pojoaque Pueblo nearly disappeared due to war and disease, but in the 1930s those who survived took steps to bring it back to life. In 1988, the pueblo opened the Poeh Center, devoted to preserving the traditional arts and culture of the Tewa ("taywah") people. Visitors can view Pueblo art and exhibits and traditional dances and shop at the largest Indian arts and crafts store in northern New Mexico. Today, with a population of more than 2,000, Pojoaque Pueblo operates the Cities of Gold Casino and is building the Buffalo Thunder Resort.
Tesuque Pueblo has occupied its site in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain foothills since 1200 A.D. and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of New Mexico's smallest and most traditional pueblos, Tesuque is celebrated for its pottery, painting and sculpture. Camel Rock, a sandstone formation carved by wind and rain into the shape of a camel, stands at the pueblo's entrance and is the namesake for the pueblo's casino.
At 7,000 feet, Santa Fe is the oldest and highest capital city in the country. Founded between 1609 and 1610 by the Spanish conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta, the city has been the capital of the Spanish Kingdom of New Mexico, serving as Spain's northernmost territory in the New World; the Mexican province of Nuevo Mejico; the American territory of New Mexico (which contained what is today Arizona and New Mexico); and the state of New Mexico, which officially achieved statehood in 1912.
During the 19th century, Santa Fe was the destination for merchants, military men, pioneers and other travelers along the Santa Fe Trail.
Today, Santa Fe is a flourishing multicultural city of about 70,000 people with a vibrant art and cultural scene, a world-class reputation for unique dining and shopping, and enduring connections to its fascinating past. It is the fourth largest city in the state, behind Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Rio Rancho. Nestled in the dramatic Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the city is famous for its stunning landscape, majestic sunsets and close proximity to excellent hiking, biking, skiing and other outdoor activities.
Taos is a laid-back town of about 5,000 residents with an eclectic population of artists, writers, skiers, farmers, environmentalists and even an occasional movie star. Taos is smaller, quieter and more isolated than Santa Fe, but its history is no less fascinating. In the last four centuries, Pueblo Indians, Spanish settlers, mountain men and American pioneers have all lived here.
Taos Pueblo, with its multi-storied adobe architecture, is the most recognized Pueblo in New Mexico and one of its oldest. The Pueblo has been continuously inhabited for more than a thousand years and was recently designated a World Heritage Site. The word Taos means "red willow" in Tiwa ("teewah"), the language spoken at Taos Pueblo.
Spanish settlers began arriving in Taos Valley in 1615 but they fled following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, led by Popé in Taos, which drove the Spanish from New Mexico. A reconquest 12 years later brought the Spanish back and by the mid-17th century, Taos had become a small but busy trading center.
Taos was home to Kit Carson after he married the daughter of a prominent Taos family in 1843. Taos was also home to a prolific group of artists who established the famous Taos Art Colony that flourished during the first half of the 20th century, and the colorful art galleries and studios that line the downtown streets draw direct parallels to that creative era.
The village of Ranchos de Taos, settled by the Spanish in 1715, is home to the famous mission church of St. Francis of Assisi, completed in 1815. This adobe church, with its massive buttresses and sculpted walls four feet thick, has been painted and photographed by more artists than any other church in the country, including Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams.
Highway 64 south of Taos follows the winding path of the Rio Grande, which flows from Colorado into Mexico. The road drops down into a narrow canyon, passing popular access spots for river rafters and historic farming villages such as Dixon, where a large population of artists now resides, drawn by the area's pastoral beauty.
Situated in the Rio Grande Valley between Taos and Los Alamos and flanked by the Jemez Mountains and the Truchas Peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Española was founded as a railroad town in 1880 when construction began on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, known as the Chile Line. At that time, a descendant of early Spanish settlers named Josefita Lucero and her husband, Amado, set up a tent and began serving food to the railroad workers. The workers must have savored the meals, and perhaps they admired the woman who cooked them, because they started calling the makeshift restaurant "La Española" (The Spanish Lady), and thus was the town's name born.
But Española's roots stretch back in history to 1598, when Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Oñate established New Mexico's first community of Spanish settlers just a few miles north of town on San Juan Pueblo land. In the 1950s, when highly customized cars known as lowriders became popular in Española, residents began calling their town the "Lowrider Capital of the World" and the nickname stuck.
Over the years, Española has grown more diverse. Today it's a city with more than 10,000 residents that serves surrounding rural communities and mountain towns. Cowboys and farmers live here, as well as artists, employees of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a large community of Sikhs who come from around the world. Residents celebrate Española's heritage with an annual fall fiesta and rowdy lowrider cruises on Friday and Saturday nights.
Nambé Pueblo dates to the 1300s, when it flourished as the Pueblo people's spiritual and cultural center, making it a prime target for the Spanish conquerors. The pueblo survived and today has a population of about 2,000 people. Located at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the pueblo lies below the popular Nambé Falls Recreation Area, where visitors can enjoy a spectacular waterfall along with lake fishing and camping.
Pojoaque Pueblo nearly disappeared due to war and disease, but in the 1930s those who survived took steps to bring it back to life. In 1988, the pueblo opened the Poeh Center, devoted to preserving the traditional arts and culture of the Tewa ("taywah") people. Visitors can view Pueblo art and exhibits and traditional dances and shop at the largest Indian arts and crafts store in northern New Mexico. Today, with a population of more than 2,000, Pojoaque Pueblo operates the Cities of Gold Casino and is building the Buffalo Thunder Resort.
Tesuque Pueblo has occupied its site in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain foothills since 1200 A.D. and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of New Mexico's smallest and most traditional pueblos, Tesuque is celebrated for its pottery, painting and sculpture. Camel Rock, a sandstone formation carved by wind and rain into the shape of a camel, stands at the pueblo's entrance and is the namesake for the pueblo's casino.
At 7,000 feet, Santa Fe is the oldest and highest capital city in the country. Founded between 1609 and 1610 by the Spanish conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta, the city has been the capital of the Spanish Kingdom of New Mexico, serving as Spain's northernmost territory in the New World; the Mexican province of Nuevo Mejico; the American territory of New Mexico (which contained what is today Arizona and New Mexico); and the state of New Mexico, which officially achieved statehood in 1912.
During the 19th century, Santa Fe was the destination for merchants, military men, pioneers and other travelers along the Santa Fe Trail.
Today, Santa Fe is a flourishing multicultural city of about 70,000 people with a vibrant art and cultural scene, a world-class reputation for unique dining and shopping, and enduring connections to its fascinating past. It is the fourth largest city in the state, behind Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Rio Rancho. Nestled in the dramatic Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the city is famous for its stunning landscape, majestic sunsets and close proximity to excellent hiking, biking, skiing and other outdoor activities.