Southwest Roadtrip - Day 5

We had planned a trip to Taos which is about 70 miles north east of Santa Fe, specifically to visit the Taos Pueblo. This is one of the many native villages which is still in use and they continue to live without electricity and plumbing like they have for all these years, so it is pretty amazing. On reaching, we took a 30-minute guided tour which was really informative and gave good insights into the everyday lives of the residents. Today, only few families live here but people associated with the pueblo visit on special occasions and celebrations.


The mountains that form the backdrop of this picturesque village are considered sacred by residents of this community and public access to them is not allowed. There were some shops selling native art and jewelry, and then there were couple of bakeries selling Fry Bread and cookies. There is a stream coming from the mountains that runs in the middle of the village and is the main source of water for the residents. The stream also divides the village into the north and the south sides. The buildings were constructed Adobe style using mud and straw, and later using mud based bricks. Also the doors to the buildings were added much later in time. In their original form, ladders were used to climb to the roof and enter the rooms from top.


We got back to Santa Fe at about 4PM. After freshening up and some snacks, we headed up to the Cross of the Martyrs which was a 2 min walk from the hotel. The cross which is on a hill top is in memory of the Spanish priests killed during the Pueblo Revolt. The hilltop is also a good place to watch the sunset and take in the city views.

We met another couple in the place we were staying and happened to have a common friend... yes it is a small world. We decided to go for dinner together and went to Mexican restaurant called Tomasitas. The restaurant had some live music and we enjoyed some good food and nice Margaritas.


After dinner, we took the shuttle service offered by the hotel and got down at the downtown plaza which is a 10 min walk from the hotel. We walked around and took some photos of the decorations and lights, and then got back to the hotel. Tomorrow it is good bye to New Mexico and hello to Arizona which was our next destination.