Taos Pueblo
Oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States.
Taos Pueblo, known in its own Tiwa language as ȉałopháymųpʼȍhə́othə̀olbo (“at red willow canyon mouth”) or simply tə̂otho (“in the village”), is a living community of the Taos people. It functions as one of 575 federally recognized Native American governments in the United States and also holds UNESCO World Heritage status. The settlement is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the country, and it is the only U.S. World Heritage site that remains a residential community; in 2012, roughly 4,500 people called it home.
The old town sits about one mile north of the modern town of Taos, New Mexico, though the tribe’s total land base covers 95,000 acres. The Taos people first arrived in the Taos Valley around 900 CE. The oldest standing building was constructed around 1000, with additional structures added in the late 1200s and early 1300s. By the 1540s, Taos was the most populous city-state among all Pueblo peoples. It is the ancestral origin of the younger Tiwa Pueblos of Picuris, Sandia, Isleta, and Ysleta del Sur. In 1680, Taos served as the headquarters for the Pueblo Revolt against Spanish rule—the first successful anti-colonial revolution in the Americas—and afterward became the capital of the Pueblo republic. During the 1700s and 1800s, the Taos people engaged in extensive trade with Comancheria, adopting elements of Plains Indian culture from the Comanche. In 1837, during the Río Arriba Rebellion, Taos Pueblo again became the capital of New Mexico.
When the United States invaded during the Mexican-American War, the Taos people fought back in the Taos Revolt of 1847. The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo granted U.S. citizenship to the people of Taos Pueblo, but this was applied inconsistently until the Supreme Court’s 1913 decision in *United States v. Sandoval*. A major turning point came in 1970, when the federal government returned Blue Lake to the Pueblo—the first success of the contemporary Land Back movement and a milestone of the Native Self-Determination Era. Today, tourism forms a significant part of the Pueblo’s economy.
The pueblo is set against the Taos Mountains of the Sangre de Cristo Range. It was built on both sides of the Rio Pueblo de Taos, also called Red Willow Creek, a small stream whose headwaters rise at Blue Lake (Ba Whyea) in the nearby mountains.
Quick Facts
- Government Type
- Republic
- Languages
- Tiwa, English, Spanish
- Legislature
- Pueblo of Taos Tribal Council
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Taos people settled in the Taos Valley around 900 CE. They constructed the oldest building still standing around 1000, with more built in the late 1200s and early 1300s. Taos was the most populous city-state of all the Pueblo peoples in the 1540s. It is the origin of the younger Tiwa Pueblos of Picuris, Sandia, Isleta, and Ysleta del Sur. Taos was the headquarters of the Pueblo Revolt in 1680 against the Spanish Empire, and after this first successful anti-colonial revolution in the Americas, it became the capital city of the Pueblo republic. In the 1700s and 1800s, Taos people traded heavily with Comancheria, adopting some Plains Indians culture from the Comanche. Taos Pueblo became the capital of New Mexico again during the Río Arriba Rebellion of 1837.
The pueblo was constructed in a setting backed by the Taos Mountains of the Sangre de Cristo Range, built on either side of Rio Pueblo de Taos. Its most prominent architectural feature is a multi-storied residential complex of reddish-brown adobe. The north-side Pueblo is said to be one of the most photographed and painted buildings in North America and is the largest multistoried Pueblo structure still existing. Homes usually consist of two rooms, and in the pueblo, electricity, running water, and indoor plumbing are prohibited.
Reader's Guide
Taos Pueblo's significance stems from its continuous habitation for over a millennium, making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States. It is the only U.S. World Heritage site where people live, with about 4,500 residents in 2012. The pueblo played a central role in Native American resistance, serving as the headquarters of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the first successful anti-colonial revolution in the Americas, and later as the capital of the Pueblo republic. It also fought against U.S. invasion during the Taos Revolt of 1847. The return of Blue Lake in 1970 marked the first success of the contemporary Land Back movement and the Native Self-Determination Era; the pueblo's web site names this reacquisition as the most important event in its history due to the spiritual belief that the Taos people originated from the lake. Tourism is a major part of the economy. The pueblo's government is led by a cacique, who has both spiritual and political responsibilities.
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