Taos

The river behind Carlene runs through the center of the pueblo

One of our favorite things to do in Taos is to visit the Pueblo.  Don't miss it if you come to Taos. The tour guide was born and raised in the village.  Only about 250 people actually live in the pueblo, but it's the center of the Red Willow people--named for the red willow trees that grow along the banks of the river.

The tribe consists of about 2500 people, and they speak both English and their native tongue, Tiwa--of which there are no written records; it's  passed down from generation to generation.  On September 30th, there will be a Feast Day at the pueblo and the public is invited.

After the tour, we had Indian tacos and toured the shops selling jewelry and drums and other things made by the tribe.  The shops are actually the front rooms of their dwellings.

The adobe structures have been there for at least a thousand years.  (Lynn, the drum-maker said it was more likely four thousand years!).  The adobe is made of clay and straw.  The pueblo is closed for a couple of months in the spring in order for the tribe to repair the adobe.  There is no electricity at all in the entire village.

These ovens--where they bake their bread and make their adobe bricks--
are called hornas (silent h)

The blue and turquoise doors of the dwellings are
so painted to ward off evil spirits.

Going from one floor to another is done by ladders,
not inside stairs.

After our morning at the pueblo, we went to see the Taos River Gorge--then to see the Earthships--a community of houses built with recycled materials (bottles and tires etc) and are heated and cooled by solar panels, no electrical cords.

The gorge

Miss Carlene on the bridge

One of the Earth Ships
The silver dots are the bottoms of bottles
embedded in the adobe material.

We've noticed the altitude for sure!  At dinner at the Taos Inn (absolutely delicious salmon with wine, capers, pine nuts, currants) the waitress told us that you can buy liquid chlorophyl to help with altitude adjustment. But we're heading out in the morning--missing Taos already! 

People tell us that it takes about a week and a half to adjust to the altitude.  Until then, you tend to be slightly short of breath, especially if you do a lot of walking, which we've done.