Taos: Native American Tradition, Hispanic Heritage, and New Age Hype
Written: May 26 '01 (Updated Aug 21 '02)
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Pros: Splendid New Mexican landscapes, warm southwestern hospitality, and enduring traditions
Cons: New Age hangers-on
The Bottom Line: The Taos Valley provides visitors with marvelous mountain scenery, a multicultural environment, and encounters with New Age eccentrics who have too much money and too little common sense.
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| DAnneC's Full Review: Taos |
New Age wisdom holds that a special "hum" persists in and around the small community of Taos, New Mexico. As I understand it, this "hum" optimizes one's receptivity to all things naturally spiritual, thereby contributing to one's overall quality of life. No doubt such a phenomenon would go a long toward explaining why artists and artisans (and those who move in their wake) have been attracted to this remote community for so many years.
Let me state categorically that I don't really know much about this "hum." What I do know is that whether your goal is the old Spanish town of Taos or the nearby--and much older--Taos Pueblo (pueblo, by the way, is Spanish for both "village" and "people"), you're destined to enjoy the beauty of northern New Mexico's spectacular mountains. You'll breathe fresh, clean air. You'll be able to taste the crystal clear waters of mountain streams. And in winter you might even take advantage of some of the area's fine ski trails. Whether you sense the "hum" or not, if your inclinations bring you to Taos, you're likely to find something to appreciate.
The Pueblo
Taos Pueblo provides the defining stereotype for a unique group of Native American communities. Although no two pueblos are alike, chances are good that if you've only one mental image of a pueblo, it will be of Taos. The multistoried pueblo at Taos resembles a sprawling pyramid constructed of adobe. Residences on the upper levels are accessed by means of ladders that can be quickly removed, thereby making the compound more defensible.
Known in the Tiwa language as the "Place of the Red Willows," Taos Pueblo has been inhabited continuously for about 700 years, with evidence of earlier pueblo structures in the Taos Valley extending back for another two or three centuries. Nestled on a high plateau alongside a small river fed by waters from the sacred Blue Lake, this ancient pueblo rests against the dramatic backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Within this context, the history of the Taos people and is inextricably bound to the land they inhabit. The pueblo is thus the spiritual home of her people, as well as being their physical residence. Although the year-round population of the pueblo is now relatively small, the ties of clan and land felt by tribal members remain strong. Families maintain their own homes in the pueblo, returning to observe lifecycle and clan milestones and to ensure that each new generation participates in the communal life of the village.
Like most of the pueblo tribes, the people of Taos typically observe their own traditional religious practices while maintaining a veneer of Catholicism, which was imposed by the Spanish conquistadors. Traditional observances at Taos are not shared with outsiders, and the pueblo is closed to visitors during several days in late summer so that tribal members can gather in their sacred societies to observe ancient rituals. The Feast of San Geronimo, on the other hand, welcomes visitors. The fiesta combines aspects of both Spanish and Taos culture and features the Sunset Dance, athletic competitions (such as foot races and pole climbing), services at St. Jerome Church, and an all-day, open-air market.
The Town
Founded by Spanish settlers in 1796, the Town of Taos served from the outset as a cross-cultural center of trade and commerce. During the early decades of the 19th century, it was a magnet to the so-called "mountain men," including Kit Carson, who eventually married a Taos woman. Founded as part of the Spanish colony of New Mexico, Taos became part of independent Mexico in 1821, and passed into the possession of the United States in 1848 as a prize of the Mexican-American War.
The longstanding love affair between Taos and the art world began at the end of the 19th century, when two itinerant artists stopped for repairs, were captivated by the region's beauty, and simply stayed on. The affair has continued unrelentingly ever since, engaging the creativity of such outstanding talents as Georgia O'Keeffe, Ansel Adams, D.H. Lawrence, and Thomas Wolfe. Today more than 1000 artists and craftsmen live and exhibit their work in and around Taos.
Beyond the art galleries, key attractions in Taos include:
~ Don Fernando de Taos Plaza, which still reflects its original design as an area that could be easily barricaded and defended;
~ Our Lady of Guadalupe Church with its Hispanic folkart masterpieces;
~ San Francisco de Asis Church (located in nearby Ranchos de Taos), which has provided inspiration for many artists--including O'Keeffe and Adams;
~ the Kit Carson home, museum, and cemetery; and
~ the Harwood and Blumenschein art museums.
My Own Encounter with the "Hum"
With regard to the famous "hum," I've visited Taos many times without encountering evidence of its existence. On our most recent trip, however, Himself and I broke our afternoon to share a late lunch at Ogelvie's on the Plaza. We were one of only two couples in the restaurant--couples who no doubt for the sake of conveniece were seated at neighboring tables.
I hereby acknowledge the fine line between "eavesdropping" and "overhearing," and I confess freely that on this particular day I crossed the line. In my own defense, however, I could do no less. Himself is hard of hearing and not given to idle chit-chat while eating, and our neighbors seemed unconcerned about how far their voices carried. I therefore felt no particular shame about listening and became intrigued by what I heard.
Our neighbors turned out to be a female Taos resident and her out-of-town male guest. From their demeanor and their exchanges, it was clear that the two shared a long and amicable acquaintance. She was apparently a fellow traveler in the local artist colony, and he seemed to be the companion of an elderly author visiting Santa Fe. He was distressed that his benefactor, at age 90, had produced no new work in over 20 years. She was busy making Anasazi-style modifications to her home and had the usual complaints about lazy workers and construction delays. Nonetheless, having dreamt that she had been an Anasazi warrior during a previous life, she was determined to see the project to completion. He, of course, fully understood her angst. They also discussed their shared need to make a pilgrimage to Chaco Canyon, where they would commune with the ancient Anasazi and benefit from the sacred geometry of the canyon's ley lines. Still, both hesitated to make the journey because accommodations near the remote canyon were so abysmal.
I was transfixed by this conversation. Neither the man nor the woman seemed to have ever held a "real" job, and apparently neither was a working artist. Yet they dropped famous names like pennies and spoke of exotic places and fine cuisine. Whether by breeding or cultivation, their speech patterns were thoroughly upper class and it was clear that they accepted privilege as their due. Their words paid homage to simplicity, yet their requirements for the simple life seemed extravagant indeed.
In the midst of this conversation, I realized that what I was witnessing must be evidence of the "hum" in action. Only the "hum" could explain the extraordinary preceptivity of these two people, allowing they to cross both time and space--and to do so without the benefit of steady employment. Only the "hum" would make them seem so well suited to their surroundings, so immune to the concerns of ordinary mortals. Only the "hum" could have provided them with the sensitively to gauge their true position in the world they inhabited.
And I understood something even more profound: Given my practical working-class mentality, I knew that I would never experience the "hum" directly. This was as close as I was likely to get. The "hum" was clearly a matter to be pursued by my betters. Alas, on that lovely fall afternoon in Taos, I discovered that my life was far and away too humdrum to experience the fabled "hum." With no latent memories of a glorious past life, I took comfort in realizing that I knew my place.
For further information regarding Taos Pueblo, call 505-758-1028.
For further information regarding the Town of Taos, refer to the Taos Vacation Guide online at hppt://www.taosvacationguide.com/
For further information on the "hum," check out such terms as ley lines, archaeogeodesy, ethnoastronomy, and sacred geometry on your favorite search engine.
Recommended:
Yes
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DAnneC
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Location: Small Town America
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Loves history, travel, gardens, and words in general
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