There Are 3 Must-See Historic Landmarks In The Charming Town Of Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in New Mexico with a community that’s rich in history and culture. The town was incorporated as a municipality on May 7, 1934. But this magical community started long before that, dating back to August 29, 1540, with the arrival of Capitan Hernando Alvarado. He was part of the expedition of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, who entered the Taos Valley for the first time. It is reported that the first meeting between the explorers and the long-time inhabitants, the Tiwa Indians, was peaceful with each giving gifts. These ongoing cultural exchanges gradually transformed the valley into modern-day Taos. The name, Taos, was first used in writing in 1598, and by 1760 the town was named “Don Fernando de Taos” by the Spanish settlers.
While the road's condition is a little smoother on New Mexico State Road 240, in the early morning with the mist rising it is easy to imagine a different kind of road.
A time when horses, wagons, and stagecoaches ruled the dirt-lined roads of Taos, New Mexico.
This photo, taken around 1898, records an accident that is said to possibly have started the Taos Art Colony. American artist Ernest Leonard Blumenschein is a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists. His paintings of New Mexico, Native Americans, and the American Southwest are world-famous.
Built in the Spanish-Pueblo style, this single-story, adobe structure houses 11 rooms. On display are some of the family's possessions including an art collection with some pieces also displayed of other famous Taos artists.
Here is one of the bedrooms in the Blumenschein House.
The Mabel Dodge Luhan House is named for its owner, Mabel Gansen Evans Dodge Sterne Luhan, who was a writer and art patroness, among many other important roles.
Mabel first rented a place in Taos, and after falling in love with Antonio Luhan, a Taos Pueblo Indian, he reportedly encouraged her to purchase 12 acres of beautiful land in May of 1918. By the next year, Tony designed and helped construct the four-room adobe house, which eventually grew to 17 rooms. It was finished around 1922, using traditional Puebloan construction methods.
A low wall with a central opening separates the courtyard from the street. With the house located at the end of a quiet road, people can enjoy the courtyard and sounds of the Taos wildlife, such as the western toad.
The house is now used as a conference center and a hotel.
The Kit Carson House and Museum is a self-guided living history interpretive tour, featuring a gift and book store, new exhibits, and an award-winning History Channel video.
It was love, it seems, that sent Carson from the Wild West frontier (where he was a trapper and guide) to Taos, where he married Josefa Jarmillo in 1843. Unless Carson was stationed in other places, the couple lived in the home until 1868, when the family moved to the Colorado Territory.
Taos's Bent Masonic Lodge #42 aquired the house in 1952, and the Kit Carson Memorial Foundation operates the museum.
Kit Carson Home and Museum, 113 Kit Carson Rd, Taos, NM 87571, USA