Taos

Images of America: New Mexico

by Lyn Bleiler, Society of the Muse of the Southwest

Located in the "Land of Enchantment," Taos has a long history that predates the pilgrims' arrival at Plymouth Rock. Anasazi Indians first inhabited the Taos Valley in 1000 A.D., and the Taos Pueblo (both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark) has been continuously inhabited for more than 1,000 years. Spanish conquistadors explored Taos in 1540, and by 1615 many Spanish families had settled in the region. Taos later became a crossroads for French and American trappers, and by the early 1800s it was a bustling headquarters for mountain men, including the legendary Kit Carson. When artists Bert Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein passed through in 1898, a broken wagon wheel delayed them and ultimately resulted in another wave of newcomers, who established an art colony. In 1917, New York socialite Mabel Dodge became enthralled with Taos, and during the next four decades she invited many highly regarded creative people to visit, including Ansel Adams, Carl Jung, Georgia O'Keefe, Willa Cather, D. H. Lawrence, and Aldous Huxley. Taos continues to attract adventurous, spirited individuals.

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 14, 2011

Reviews

[Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A coffee table book at the airbnb in Taos. I learned a lot about the pueblos, early settlers, and artist community from this book. I would have like a little less emphasis on the big families that colonized the area and more on literally anything else (natural history? Architecture?) but overall a worthwhile read!