Taos Plaza is a center of shops and monuments within the Taos Downtown Historic District in Taos, New Mexico .
31-483: The Taos Plaza is the historic center of the town of Taos. Once a Spanish fortified walled plaza with houses and businesses, it now has a park with shady trees, park benches, and a gazebo surrounded by retail businesses made of adobe. An anchor of the plaza is the Hotel La Fonda de Taos, which has a small museum of D.H. Lawrence paintings and a restaurant named Joseph's Table with hand-painted floral murals. There
62-587: A reduction in hostile attacks in the Taos Valley. In 1796, The Don Fernando de Taos Land Grant gave land to 63 Spanish families in the Taos valley, including the Taos Plaza which was then called Don Fernando de Taos. The settlement was built as a fortified plaza, with strong gates to enclose the settlement to protect the residents and livestock at threats of attack by Plains Indians . At each corner of
93-653: A weekend long celebration of the Hispanic heritage of Taos when the plaza is filled with music, food, and dance. It begins with a Friday night Mass and includes crowning of a fiesta queen. Other events, many of which are free, are held throughout the year in the plaza, including free music in the summer and Yuletide celebrations in December. 36°24′26″N 105°34′28″W / 36.40722°N 105.57444°W / 36.40722; -105.57444 Taos Downtown Historic District Taos Downtown Historic District
124-578: Is a historic district in Taos, New Mexico . Taos "played a major role in the development of New Mexico, under Spanish , Mexican, and American governments." It is a key historical feature of the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway of northern New Mexico. Taos Downtown Historic District is located in the center of Taos, New Mexico. It is roughly bounded by Ojitos, Quesnel, Martyr's Lane, Las Placitas and Ranchitos Streets. More broadly
155-460: Is a tourist destination with many shops displaying Northern New Mexico foods and cultural items, including products made in Taos, chile ristras , packaged food items , Southwestern jewelry, pottery , clothing, leather work, and Native American moccasins and drums . The Fiestas de Santa Ana y Santiago (colloquially referred to as the Fiestas de Taos) is hosted during the final week of July,
186-696: Is metered parking within the plaza and shopping includes galleries of Native American art and jewelry and souvenir shops. The old courthouse and historic Taos jail are located on the north side of the Plaza. It is the central point for a walking tour of the Taos Downtown Historic District , which includes the Ernest L. Blumenschein House , Harwood Museum of Art , Governor Charles Bent House , Taos Inn , John Dunn House, Taos Art Museum , and
217-615: Is the Palo Flechado Pass (9,101 feet (2,774 m)) with a distant view of San Juan . Campsites, canyon trails, picnic areas, and artist's studios are located in the Canyon of the Rio Fernando de Taos. The earliest trails used by Plains Indians and Puebloan peoples were those created by buffalo and were followed for hunting. The buffalo were considered "the best civil engineers in the world" for their ability to find
248-589: The Battle of Cuerno Verde was led by Juan Bautista de Anza against the Comanches. Several tribal leaders and the chief were killed during the battle. As a result, the hostilities by that tribe subsided. In 1794 an order was initiated that prohibited Spanish, Negroes and mulattoes from living on pueblo lands. In addition, the General Indian Policy by Commandant General Teodoro de Croix resulted in
279-698: The Bent's Fort on the Arkansas River in Colorado, west of the Spanish Peaks , through Sangre de Cristo Pass (west of Walsenburg, Colorado ), Old La Veta Pass and into Questa area (NM 522/NM38 area). It came into Taos at either Taos Pueblo road or half a mile west on Couse Hill. Another route into Taos was along the Cimarron Route. It was this route that most wagon trains entered into
310-668: The Mexican–American War ). In retaliation, some former Mexican citizens and Taos Natives rebelled and during the Taos Revolt Charles Bent , the first territorial governor , was killed in his home. In response, the United States Army killed more than 150 people at the Taos Pueblo and destroyed the original San Geronimo Mission. In 1850, New Mexico and Arizona became an official territory of
341-660: The Nicolai Fechin House . It is located immediately west of the intersection of US 64 (Kit Carson Road) and NM 68 . Taos County owns and manages it. Located in Taos, New Mexico . Spanish settlers began colonization of the Taos Valley in 1616, but the Plaza dates to the late 18th century when the Don Fernando de Taos Land Grant was ceded to Spanish settlers from the Taos Pueblo in 1796 by Don Fernando de Chacon, Governor of New Mexico. It and
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#1732787044717372-585: The Rio Grande River and skiing and snowboarding at Taos Ski Valley. North of Taos, NM 522 meets NM 38 at Questa , where Red River recreational opportunities include picnic facilities, fishing, and self-guided tours. The town of Questa is known for its artisans whose works are found at the Artesanos de Questa and historic santos and retablos are at the St. Anthony's Church. Northeast of Questa,
403-635: The Sangre de Cristo Mountains . It is the tallest mountain in New Mexico. The scenic byway passes through historic towns, alongside lakes and streams, and near ski resorts and recreational parks. Taos is the county seat of Taos County , and the largest town in the Enchanted Circle. It is notable for its historic plaza , arts and music scene, and the nearby Taos Pueblo UNESCO World Heritage Site . Recreational opportunities include rafting on
434-481: The Taos Pueblo were the terminal points of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro , or King's Highway, from Mexico City . Taos Plaza served for decades as the central meeting place in the valley and survived numerous fires that destroyed several older buildings. Nearby is the home of Charles Bent , who was appointed Governor of New Mexico when it became an American Territory during the Mexican–American War . He
465-547: The 1960s and 1970s and their residence influenced the culture of Taos. Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway is a New Mexico Scenic Byway and National Forest Scenic Byway located in Northern New Mexico . It begins and ends in Taos, New Mexico . The 84-mile (135 km) Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway makes a loop through Taos following four main highways: The byway encircles Wheeler Peak (13,161 feet (4,011 m)) of
496-526: The Franciscan priest was killed. In 1661 some people returned to the still difficult situation. Due to the poor treatment of the residents of the pueblo, a revolt by indigenous peoples in 1680 resulted in the Spanish being driven out of the area. Sixteen years later the Taos valley was resettled by Don Diego de Vargas of Spain with a renewed and more respectful perspective. Spanish families settled in
527-667: The Rio Grande and Red Rivers intersect in the Wild Rivers Recreation Area . East of Questa is the Red River Valley—where there had been copper, lead, silver and gold mining. The town of Red River offers, shopping, a ski resort, and ATV rentals. Traveling east on New Mexico State Road 38 (NM 38) is Bobcat Pass (9,820 feet (2,990 m)) which leads into the Moreno Valley and a view of
558-681: The Rio de Fernando canyon valley. The two routes are the "mountain route" and the "Cimarron Route" of the Santa Fe Trail . One of the Cimarron Mountain Routes paralleled the present U.S. Route 64 from I-25 to Cimarron . Trails branched off of the Cimarron Route into several communities. A branch of the route from Bent's Fort went into Taos in or after the founding of the Santa Fe Trail in 1821. The first wagon train
589-535: The Taos Plaza area and Ranchos de Taos . In 1710 the Spanish regained the territory. For protection against attacks by Plains Indians, many people of Spanish heritage lived on, or built houses very near, the Taos Pueblo. Subsequently, concerned about the rate of intermarriage between the Spanish and people of the pueblo, the Spanish were asked to move at least "one league" away from the pueblo. In 1779
620-482: The Taos Valley in 1540. The area was settled by Spanish colonialists starting about 1615. What had begun as good relationships between the people from the pueblo and the settlers became contentious due to "brutal treatment" of the pueblo residents by the Franciscan missionaries, pressure to convert to Christianity, and demands to make tributes to encomenderos . Some of the colonists left the Taos area in 1840 after
651-619: The United States. Taos, one of the oldest Spanish settlements in the Taos valley, has examples of Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival, Pueblo Revival and Territorial architecture. In 1930 several buildings on the plaza succumbed to fire, including the courthouse building and the Don Fernando Hotel. A new courthouse building was built and in 1933 and 1934 the Works Progress Administration funded
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#1732787044717682-498: The area originally called Don Fernando de Taos is located in the Taos Valley , alongside Taos Creek and about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Taos Pueblo . In the distance is Taos Peak . Arrowheads , potshards and pictographs found in the area provide evidence that Native Americans ranged through the Taos area about 6,000 years ago. About 900 years ago Pueblo people moved into the Taos and Picuris Pueblo areas. Spanish conquistadors , led by Hernando de Alvardo , entered
713-454: The creation of murals within the courthouse. The frescoes were painted by Taos art colony members Emil Bisttram , Victor Higgins , Ward Lockwood and Bert Geer Phillips . In the late 19th century members of the Taos art colony settled in homes and studios around the plaza. The first of which were Bert Geer Phillips and Ernest L. Blumenschein who became "enthralled" by Taos scenery and clear light in 1898. The Taos Society of Artists
744-780: The early 1800s. In December 1826 Kit Carson arrived and later married Josefa Jaramillo from Taos. At that time there were about 500 settlers in Taos. It was almost as important as Santa Fe and was the northernmost custom depot of the Spanish colonial settlements. As the Santa Fe Trail was established between the American territory of Missouri and Santa Fe, fur trade and goods trade developed in Taos for people of American, Spanish and Native American heritage. Santa Fe Trail traders included Charles Bent and William Bent who operated Bent's Fort . Goods produced in Taos included furs, blankets, and "Taos lightning", made from fermented wheat. In 1826 Padre Antonio José Martínez began to serve
775-499: The easiest, lowest paths through the mountains. The Old Kiowa Trail, still used today by Native Americans on horseback, is at the base of the Rocky Mountains . An old Navajo Trail criss-crossed the Rio Grande before heading west at Warmsley Crossing ( John Dunn Bridge at Arroyo Hondo ) There were additional trails that radiated out of Taos from Taos Plaza . A key trail into Taos was " The Old Taos Trail ", which began at
806-555: The north side of Mount Wheeler. At the eastern edge of the scenic byway is Moreno Valley, which lies between Eagle Nest and Angel Fire . At the southernmost point of the valley is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park . A ski resort and golf course are located south of the park on NM 434 in the village of Angel Fire. The ski resort's chairlift is used during the summer by hikers, sightseers and mountain bikers. From Angel Fire, west on US 64
837-517: The parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe . He also founded a newspaper, the first one west of the Mississippi, which was the precursor to the modern The Taos News . In 1830 building housing a jail and courthouse was built on the north side of the plaza. The Columbian and Don Fernando hotels, saloons and gambling establishments were built to accommodate the influx of visitors to Taos. The United States took possession of New Mexico in 1847 (during
868-549: The thick adobe walls of the plaza sentries stood guard for protection. Within the plaza, residents celebrated during fiestas, engaged in church festivities, and traded goods. It is now a central plaza surrounded by residential areas. Taos was the most northern stop on the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro , also known as the King's Highway, from Mexico City. Mountain men who trapped for beaver nearby made Taos their home in
899-454: Was formed in 1912 with other artists who had moved to Taos. Socialite Mabel Dodge Luhan arrived in Taos in 1917 and brought "creative luminaries" to the area, including Carl Jung , Georgia O'Keeffe , D. H. Lawrence , Thomas Wolfe , Willa Cather , Ansel Adams , Thornton Wilder , and Aldous Huxley . Inspired by the movie Easy Rider in which bikers "briefly discovered peace, creativity, and free love", Hippies arrived in Taos in
930-590: Was killed by Indian rebels during the Taos Revolt . In 1861, during the Civil War , Southern sympathizers repeatedly tore down an American flag flying over the Plaza. Captain Smith Simpson, with the help of Kit Carson , Ceran St. Vrain , and others, guarded the flag 24 hours a day. The United States Congress permitted Taos to fly the flag twenty-four hours a day to commemorate the event. Taos Plaza
961-465: Was led by Charles Bent in 1831. Bent, the brother of William Bent of Bent's Fort , became the most successful merchant in Taos before being made governor of New Mexico . History of individual highways: The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway was named a New Mexico Scenic Byways on July 31, 1998. It was designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway by the U.S. Forest Service on December 14, 1989. The movies Easy Rider and Butch Cassidy and