Taos Pueblo

From Free net encyclopedia

Taos Pueblo (or Pueblo de Taos), continuously inhabited for over 1000 years, is the ancient town of the Northern Tiwa speaking tribe of Pueblo people, Native Americans. It lies about one mile north of modern Taos, New Mexico on the Rio Pueblo, a small stream which flows from the Sangre de Cristo Range. 95,000 acres (384 km²) are attached to the pueblo; about 2000 people live there. In their own language, Northern Tiwa, the name of Taos is Tua-tah, which means "our village."

Taos Pueblo's most prominent architectural feature is an multi-storied residential complex of reddish-brown adobe divided into two parts by the Rio Pueblo. According to the Pueblo's Web site, it was probably built between 1000 and 1450 A.D. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on October 9, 1960, and later became a World Heritage Site. As of 2006 about 150 people live in it full-time.

The history of Taos Pueblo include the plotting of the Pueblo Revolt in 1680, a siege by U.S. forces in 1847, and the Pueblo's acquisition in 1960 of 48,000 acres of mountain land, including Blue Lake, which the people of the pueblo traditionally consider sacred. The Pueblo's Web site names the acquisition of Blue Lake as the most important event in its history.