North of Taos

Posted byrkrontheroadPosted inart, desert, New Mexico, North America, Photography, Travel, United StatesTags:, , , , , ,

The Taos Pueblo people have lived in northern New Mexico for more than one-thousand years. The pueblo is a sovereign Native American nation inside the United States, still inhabited by members of the Tiwa tribe. Its well-kept, multi-story adobe structures are attractive and distinctive. Artisan studios and shops show their handcrafted works, open to visitors on the ground floor. It’s an intimate opportunity to meet indigenous artists of traditional crafts and more contemporary art; they are pleased to tell you about their history, inspiration, and techniques if you ask.

Taos Pueblo
San Geronimo Church, Taos Pueblo

Northeast of Taos, high on a mesa, sits the village of Arroyo Seco. Its main street is home to a hippie artist community with a quirky collection of galleries and boutiques. A potter with his studio in the back of the display area invited me in to see how he worked. The ceramics and jewelry in those shops were quite impressive. I wished I hadn’t had a late breakfast on my way out of Taos—I would have liked to try one of their interesting looking restaurants.

Before the Rio Grande River defines the southern border between the U.S. and Mexico, it starts in the southern Colorado mountains and flows through New Mexico, carving its way through the land. The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is a stunning passage over a steep, rocky canyon north of Taos.

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

A little way beyond the bridge is a community of Earthships, ecologically harmonious homes composed with recycled materials such as tires, soda cans, and beer bottles. Some of the imaginative architectural designs were fascinating, and a bit un-earthly! The Visitor Center wasn’t open the day we stopped by, but wandering around to explore is encouraged.

Intersection of Earthship Way and Humane Lane

When my friend Barbara and I drove through this area, the tiny town of Carson, New Mexico caught our eye.

I couldn’t tell you where we found these petroglyphs. It was down a rural road another artist friend recommended.

Crossing the Colorado border, I stayed a night in Antonito (click the link for train photos and street art in a previous post) at the Indiana Jones Bed and Breakfast, as I have done a few times before. The B&B is in the little house where Indy grew up in the third movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Each time, there were a few other tourists staying there, and we’d chat about travels in the area. This time, the two couples I met at breakfast were avid Indiana Jones geeks, especially the two men. The conversation sounded a bit like listening to a trivia contest.

At some point, the man from Canada, sporting an Indy-style hat, said he had wondered if wearing it to this inn was a little presumptuous. The Californian asked him to wait just a minute, ran upstairs to his room, and came down with a a beautiful leather braided whip! He explained that it was one of the last creations of the same person who made Indy’s whips. Then, they went outside and the whip owner gave a demonstration and coached the Canadian to give it a try. I had a later start out that morning than I had originally planned—this was too exciting to miss. I just hoped no one got hurt!

A few more spots in Antonito to share.

Art of Taos
Other New Mexico posts: New Mexico towns, Walking Santa Fe, Santa Fe Landmarks, Ghost Ranch, Bandelier National Monument

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Published by rkrontheroad

Writer, photographer, traveler

33 thoughts on “North of Taos”

  3. Pingback: Antonito – Ruth Rosenfeld

  4. Taos has that sort of energy to it that makes it mystical and magical. Don’t know if it’s from the wide, sweeping desert land or the Spanish and indigenous histories (or both), but it’s a place that intrigues me to visit some day. The Indiana Jones B&B is certainly a distinctive and quirky accommodation, and I imagine many Indy fans are obsessed with it! Thanks for taking us around town, Ruth 😊

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  7. This makes me want to get back on the road in the US again (soon I hope!) Great memories of some places we liked, in particular Taos Pueblo which fascinated me. We also took in the Rio Grande Gorge and the Earthship community, so I don’t know how we managed to miss Arroyo Seco which looks exactly the sort of place we would want to stop in to explore!

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  12. I am captivated by the buildings of the Taos Pueblo, they feel so unique and distinctive. Love the art community too, that fabulous tile work of the big tree and flowers is just gorgeous. I actually recognised the Indy house, I would definitely want to stay there if I ever make it to the area. The experience with the two Indy geek is priceless, well done for telling it and grabbing shots of the whipping in action.

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    1. The adobe structures are so appealing and it’s an amazing art center. That tile mural was stunning and the artist does beautiful jewelry and sculpture as well; she’s very talented. I just keeping clicking my camera at the whipping lesson hoping to catch a few shots that worked – what fun! Thanks so much, Leighton.

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    1. I spent a week at Ghost Ranch, taking a silver smithing class, and hiked around that area, which is similar, but haven’t been to Plaza Blanca. Have to keep that in mind if I get down that way again.

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