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[Photo] Taos Pueblo
National Park Service photo

Built on either side of the Rio Pueblo (Pueblo River), Taos Pueblo, is the final site in a chain of Pueblo Indian dwellings in the Taos Valley dating back to the 900s. The pueblo was first visited by Europeans in 1540. In 1598 Mission San Gerónimo de Taos was founded. Rebuilt on three separate occasions, the mission was officially abandoned in 1846. Taos Pueblo was historically one of the major centers of trade between the Rio Grande pueblos and the Plains Indians. Trade fairs were held every season and were eventually institutionalized by the Spanish. The fairs also gave rise to merchant caravans, which traveled along the Chihuahua Trail from northern New Mexico to the cities of Mexico. Taos Pueblo was also a center of the Great Pueblo Revolt of 1680. This regional uprising, a response to Spanish mistreatment of the Pueblo Indians, drove the Spanish out of New Mexico until 1692. The pueblo is inhabited and consists of impressive adobe two to five-story residential blocks, many still accessible only by ladder, the original defensive wall, kivas and the ruins of the mission.

Taos Pueblo, a National Historic Landmark , is 2.5 miles north of Taos, New Mexico. Guided tours are available May-October; visitors welcome daily generally from 8:00am to 4:30pm; closed during some religious ceremonies. There is a fee for admission, and for photography. Please call 505-758-1028, or visit their website for further information. Taos Pueblo is also a designated World Heritage Site.

 

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