Taos Pueblo - World Heritage Site

Taos Pueblo (http://www.taospueblo.com/about.php ).  Our most recent trip was to visit the Taos Pueblo in Taos, NM.  We also stopped by the bridge over the gorge over the Rio Grande River (not for those who are afraid of heights).  A bighorn sheep suddenly appeared on the side of the bridge for a photo op! Vin Pelletier, the Director of our Program at Sangre de Cristo Center bravely walking across the bridge, which sways in heavy winds. Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark.  The multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years! The Pueblo is made entirely of adobe -- earth mixed with water and straw, then either poured into forms or made into sun-dried bricks. The walls are frequently several feet thick. The roofs of each of the five stories are supported by large timbers -- vigas -- hauled down from the mountain forests. Smaller pieces of wood -- pine or aspen latillas -- are placed side-by-side on top of the vigas; the whole roof is covered with packed dirt. The outside surfaces of the Pueblo are continuously maintained by re-plastering with thick layers of mud. Interior walls are carefully coated with thin washes of white earth to keep them clean and bright. The Pueblo is actually many individual homes, built side-by-side and in layers, with common walls but no connecting doorways. In earlier days there were no doors or windows and entry was gained only from the top. 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. There are over 1900 Taos Indians living on Taos Pueblo lands. The present San Geronimo, or St. Jerome, Chapel,   was completed in 1850 to replace the original church which was destroyed in the War with Mexico by the U.S. Army in 1847. That church, the ruins still evident on the west side of the village, was first built in 1619. It was then destroyed in the Spanish Revolt of 1680 but soon rebuilt on the same site. St. Jerome is the patron saint of Taos Pueblo. The indians are 90% Catholic but also preserve their 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.