Mó-ha-loh, Taos Mountain, Sangre De Cristo Mountains, Taos County
Current Population: 1,900
Language: Northern Tiwa
Early Societal Structure: Patrilineal clans with ritual patrimoieties with kivas for each moiety
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Preservation of Culture
Taos Pueblo was declared a National Historic landmark in 1965 and it has beeen designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The pueblo was constructed in a setting backed by the Taos Mountains of the Sangre de Cristo Range. The settlement was built on either side of Rio Pueblo de Taos, also called Rio Pueblo and Red Willow Creek, a small stream that flows through the middle of the pueblo compound. Its headwaters come from Blue Lake, or Ba Whyea, in the nearby mountains.
Taos Pueblo's most prominent architectural feature is a multi-storied residential complex of reddish-brown adobe, built on either side of the Rio Pueblo. The Pueblo's website states it was probably built between 1000 and 1450. The rooms used to be accessed through the roof, with ladders that could be pulled up when the village was attacked, which happened regularly.
The north house is Hlauuma and the south house is Hlaukwima. The remnants of an old, defensive wall are readily visible. Based on archaeological analysis, residents constructed the two pueblos at about the same time. Based on the photos online, most visitors focus their camera on Hlauuma. It is the most impressive. The ruins of an older pueblo, “Cornfield Taos,” is east of the pueblo. It was established around 900 A.D. As an ancestral community, it is considered sacred, inaccessible to visitors.
Approximately 150 people live within the Pueblo full time. Other families owning homes in the North or South buildings live in summer homes near their fields, and in more modern homes outside the old walls but still within Pueblo land.
The preservation of the Multi-storied building is of high priority for the tribe. The multi-storied buildings are part of the Taos Pueblo experience and are a part of our way life. Known as Hlauuma (north house) and Hlaukwima (south house), the multi-storied buildings are a key priority for the community. In order to ensure either building maintains its state, the tribe has created a specific program to ensure our home is protected and maintained. The Taos Pueblo Preservation Program (TPPP) strives to protect and preserve the cultural heritage of Taos Pueblo as a traditional living community.
Trade Center
Taos was an important trade hub, connecting the Pueblos on the Rio Grande with Plains Tribes. They hosted large trading fairs annually in the summer and fall. In fact, the harvest fair in Taos was one of the largest in the region, with traders attending from hundreds of miles away. The fairs featured an impressive variety of commodities, including turquoise, shells, buckskins, buffalo hides, seeds, copper, macaw feathers, salt, slaves, and more.
Stolen Mountain Returned
Taos Mountain land was taken by President Roosevelt and designated as the Carson National Forest early in the 20th century. (Kit Carson was a fur trader who scalped his first Native American when he was 19 and he became a U.S. Army officer that brutelized the Navajo then forced them on the Long Walk.)
The mountain was finally returned in 1970 when President Nixon signed Public Law 91-550. An additional 764 acres south of the ridge between Simpson Peak and Old Mike Peak and west of Blue Lake were transferred back to the Pueblo in 1996.
Blue Lake is sacred to Taos Pueblo and they name the reacquisition of the sacred Blue Lake as the most important event in their history due to the spiritual belief that the Taos people originated from the lake. It is believed that their ancestors live there. The people of Taos Pueblo only ascend the mountain twice a year.
From Rebellion to New Faith
The Catholic church was first built at Taos Pueblo in 1619. Taos warriors killed a priest and several Spaniards in 1640, destroying the church. Knowing Spanish troops would retaliate, they abandoned the pueblo for several years. Additionally, tribal leaders sent the Inquisition in Mexico an official complaint accusing the priest of immorality in 1647. When villagers returned, the Spaniards assigned another priest and he led the charge to build another mission, which they completed in 1660. The church and the Spanish authorities became increasingly heavy-handed, demanding tribute and suppressing traditional religious ceremonies.
When the Americans declared war on Mexico, they installed Charles Bent as governor. Local Native American and Mexican dissidents in the Taos area killed him, then took refuge in the church. The U.S. Army was dispatched to suppress the revolt. The first day the soldiers attacked with cannons, but the cannon balls stuck in the adobe bricks of the mission like small marbles hitting a mud wall. Troops then set the roof on fire to create a distraction then hacked through the adobe walls with axes.
The mission was rebuilt as San Jeronimo and now Taos Pueblo embraces Catholicism. The Taos Pueblo website states:
“The Pueblo Indians are about 90% Catholic. Catholicism is practiced along with the ancient Indian religious rites which are an important part of Taos Pueblo life. The Pueblo religion is very complex; however, there is no conflict with the Catholic church, as evidenced by the prominent presence of both church and kiva in the village.”
