The High Road to Taos is a scenic, winding road through the

Sangre de Cristo Mountains ) , country= United States , subdivision1_type= States , subdivision1= , parent= Rocky Mountains , geology= , orogeny= , area_mi2= 17193 , range_coordinates= , length_mi= 242 , length_orientation= north-south , width_mi= 120 , w ...

between Santa Fe and

Taos Taos or TAOS may refer to: Places * Taos, Missouri, a city in Cole County, Missouri, United States * Taos County, New Mexico, United States ** Taos, New Mexico, a city, the county seat of Taos County, New Mexico *** Taos art colony, an art colo ...

. (The "Low Road" runs through the valleys along the Rio Grande). It winds through high desert, mountains, forests, small farms, and tiny

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

villages and

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

villages. Scattered along the way are the galleries and studios of traditional artisans and artists drawn by the natural beauty. It has been recognized by the state of

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

as an official scenic byway.

Description

Nambé

The High Road to Taos Scenic Byway begins north of Santa Fe in

Pojoaque, New Mexico Pojoaque (; Tewa: Pʼohsųwæ̨geh Ówîngeh/P'osuwaege Owingeh ’òhsũ̀wæ̃̀gè ʔówîŋgè, Po’su wae geh, which translates to “water gathering place”, is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. ...

, at the intersection of U.S. 285/84 and State Road 503. It continues along State Road 503 to Nambé Pueblo. Founded in the 14th century, Nambé means "People of the Round Earth" in

Tewa The Tewa are a linguistic group of Pueblo Native Americans who speak the Tewa language and share the Pueblo culture. Their homelands are on or near the Rio Grande in New Mexico north of Santa Fe. They comprise the following communities: * ...

, their native language. The pueblo plaza is a registered

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. The church on State Road 503 is not original; ill-considered efforts to restore the grand original church caused it to collapse. The pueblo encompasses of land with waterfalls, lakes, and mountainous areas. Until about 1830, Nambe was known for a pottery style called Nambe Polychrome. Today, pottery is making a comeback, especially black-on-black and red-on-white. Weaving is also reemerging.

Chimayó

The road continues through the rolling hills and wind-carved hoodoos of the

badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...

. At , the High Road turns left onto State Road 98 (Juan Medina Road), which continues across the open, rolling high desert until it dips down to the green, farming valley of Chimayó. Visitors often stop at the historic Santuario de Chimayó. Built between 1811–16, this tiny church is visited by pilgrims from all over the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and old

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, especially on

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

week, when crowds swell to the thousands. A little farther on is the Rancho de Chimayó Restaurant, housed in a historic

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

building. Chimayó also has many traditional weaving studios owned by descendants of the original

settlers.

Córdova

Where State Road 98 dead-ends, the road turns right onto State Road 76 and begins the climb into the

and the little villages of the High Road. First is Córdova, a collection of narrow streets above a river valley, accessible via a road on the right. Córdova is known for its traditional

woodcarver Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

s, such as

George López George T. López (April 23, 1900 – December 23, 1993) was a renowned Santo (art), Santos woodcarver who was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1982. He was born in the small village of Cordova, New ...

, who carve ''santos'' (saints) in the "Córdova Style": unpainted but elaborately carved and featuring the distinctive grain and shape of the wood. A very short drive takes you into the village and back to State Road 76.

Truchas

The road continues to climb to the top of a high mesa and the village of Truchas, meaning 'trout', a scattering of

houses backed by the snow-capped Truchas Peaks. (The High Road and State Road 76 turn left, but much of the village is straight ahead on State Road 75.) This Hispanic farming community once furnished the set for the movie version of the John Nichols novel ''

The Milagro Beanfield War ''The Milagro Beanfield War'' is a 1988 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Redford from a screenplay written by John Nichols and David S. Ward based on Nichols's novel of the same name. The ensemble cast includes Ruben Blades, Richar ...

''. Truchas was established by a royal

in 1754 to create a buffer against

nomad A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

and

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

bands who often raided both

villages and Native American

pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

s. Hence, it was built as a walled compound around a

plaza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

. Its settlers hand-dug miles of ''acequias'' (

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

ditches) to bring water from the trout-filled river that gave the town its name. Although today's residents still work their farms, many commute to jobs in Santa Fe or Los Alamos. A few still make their living as traditional craftspeople alongside the many European-American artists and galleries that have been drawn to Truchas's mountain views.

Ojo Sarco

The High Road continues along State Road 76 through the

Carson National Forest Carson National Forest is a national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers (1.5 million acres) and is administered by the United States Forest Service. The Forest Service's "mixed use" policy allows ...

to a series of very small villages. First is Ojo Sarco, believed to be named for a spring in a nearby ''

cañada ''Cañada'' (, Spanish for droveway, drovers' road) may refer to: Places Argentina *Cañada de Gómez, a city in the province of Santa Fe *Cañada Rosquín, a small town (comuna) in the province of Santa Fe * La Cañada, a town in Santiago d ...

'' (glen). The name was sometimes spelled Ojo Zarco; ''ojo'' is now translated as "eye" in Spanish, but also used to mean "spring" and ''zarco'' means "light blue", hence "blue spring".

Las Trampas

Next is

Las Trampas Las Trampas or just Trampas (Spanish: "traps"), is a small unincorporated town in Taos County, New Mexico. Founded in 1751, its center retains the original early Spanish colonial defensive layout from that time, as well as the 18th-century San ...

, founded in 1751 by a royal land grant, "Santo Tomás Apostol del Río de las Trampas" (" Saint Thomas, Apostle of the River of Traps"). Despite the heavy toll taken by a

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

epidemic and raids by

Plains Indians Plains Indians or Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies are the Native American tribes and First Nation band governments who have historically lived on the Interior Plains (the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies) of N ...

, the village of

survived and the settlers managed to build the stately San José de Gracia Church, completed in 1776. It is a

, and the village is a National

Historic District A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

. The building across from the church with the little bell tower was the school.

El Valle and Ojito

State Road 76 continues through the

. Smaller roads lead off to El Valle or 'the valley' and Ojito 'little spring', both settled by colonists from

. Both are accessed by scenic drives through the forest.

Chamisal

The next village on SR 76 is Chamisal. It, too, was settled by

villagers moving out from

; all of these villages lie within the

. Chamisal is probably named for the "chamisa" shrub (''

Chrysothamnus ''Chrysothamnus'', known as rabbitbrush, rabbitbush, and chamisa, are a genus of shrubs in the family Asteraceae. The native distribution is in the arid western United States, Canada, and northern Mexico. It is known for its bright white or yell ...

'', or rabbitbrush) which turns golden in late summer. Chamisal Creek flows northwest to join the Peñasco River. There is a small, old church in the village (follow the sign to the old plaza).

Picurís

When SR 76 ends at a stop sign, the High Road turns right onto State Road 75. However, turn left to visit Picurís Pueblo.

explorer

Don Juan de Oñate Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON * Don (river), a river in European Russia * Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a v ...

called these people "pikuria"—those who paint. Before the

came, Picurís was one of the largest and most powerful of the

pueblos The Puebloans or Pueblo peoples, are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Currently 100 pueblos are actively inhabited, among which Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zu ...

, located at the confluence of two rivers and on a major pass that leads through the mountains to the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

in the east. This strategic location made it a key site for trade with the

s, but once the

s arrived and the

brought horses, the pueblo became vulnerable to attack. The fierce Picurís continued to fight the

even after the Reconquest, and lost many members of the tribe as a result. Like

Taos Pueblo Taos Pueblo (or Pueblo de Taos) is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos-speaking (Tiwa) Native American tribe of Puebloan people. It lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico. The pueblos are considered to be one of the oldest c ...

, Picurís is a

Tiwa Tiwa and Tigua may refer to: * Tiwa Puebloans, an ethnic group of New Mexico, US * Tiwa (Lalung), an ethnic group of north-eastern India * Tiwa language (India), a Sino-Tibetan language of India * Tiwa languages, a group of Tanoan languages of the ...

pueblo. Picurís today, while small, has a thriving buffalo herd and runs a hotel in Santa Fe. It is known for its gold-hued

mica Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into extremely thin elastic plates. This characteristic is described as perfect basal cleavage. Mica is ...

ceous pottery (featuring flecks of shiny

). When the 200-year-old San Lorenzo de Picurís church collapsed in 1989 due to water damage,

members rebuilt it by hand. San Lorenzo Feast Day is August 10. (Tribal members request that visitors get permission before taking photos anywhere on the

Peñasco

The High Road continues on State Road 75 into Peñasco. The villages of Llano San Juan, Llano Largo, and Santa Barbara in the Peñasco area were first settled by Spanish colonists in 1796, the same year as

. Today the town of Peñasco serves residents in the many villages and rural areas surrounding it, as well as the residents of Picurís Pueblo.

Llano San Juan and Llano de la Yegua

Leaving Peñasco, the High Road and State Road 75 make a wide curve to the left. Going straight onto State Road 73 offers a side trip into Llano San Juan and Llano de la Yegua. A is a "broad, treeless plain," while means

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

. These are lush, green valleys flanked by steep mesas. The small hamlet of Llano San Juan is served by the San Juan Nepomuceno Catholic Church.

Vadito

The High Road continues along State Road 75 through the tiny village of Vadito, which means "little ford." Beyond Vadito, the road passes through the valley of Placita.

Sipapu

At the "stone wall" intersection, the High Road turns left onto State Road 518 to

Ranchos de Taos Ranchos de Taos is a census-designated place (CDP) in Taos County, New Mexico. The population was 2,390 at the time of the 2000 census. The historic district is the Ranchos de Taos Plaza, which includes the San Francisco de Asis Mission Chu ...

. However, just a few miles east on SR 518 is

Sipapu A (a Hopi word) was a small hole or indentation in the floor of a (pithouse). Kivas were used by the Ancestral Puebloans and continue to be used by modern-day Puebloans. The symbolizes the portal through which their ancient ancestors first e ...

Ski Resort and Recreation Area. The drive to

through the

is very scenic, and there are numerous trails and fishing spots on the Rio Pueblo.

Talpa

The High Road turns northwest along SR 518 and passes through more valleys and vistas of the

. Eventually it reaches Talpa, the last High Road village. Talpa is an ancient site; pit houses and pueblos were built here from 1100 to 1300. It was settled by

colonists in the early 18th century, about the same time as

. Talpa, which means "knob", may refer to a formation in one of Talpa's little canyons.

Ranchos de Taos

Although the High Road officially ends where SR 518 meets SR 68 in

, symbolically it ends at the famous San Francisco de Asis Mission Church a few blocks south. This is probably one of the most painted and photographed churches in the nation—especially the buttresses in the back, famously painted by

Georgia O'Keeffe Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American modernist artist. She was known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. O'Keeffe has been called the "Mother of Amer ...

and photographed by

Paul Strand Paul Strand (October 16, 1890 – March 31, 1976) was an American photographer and filmmaker who, along with fellow modernist photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston, helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century. ...

and

Ansel Adams Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advoca ...

. Completion of its construction took from 1772 to 1815.

Location

Beginning: End:

References

External links

Highroadnewmexico.com: High Road to Taos visitor and art guideNewmexico.org: High Road to Taos Scenic BywayVideo on the High Road to Taos Scenic Byway, produced by the New Mexico Tourism DepartmentMoon Travel Guides articleArticle from ''Sunset'' magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:High Road To Taos, New Mexico Roads in New Mexico Transportation in Santa Fe County, New Mexico Transportation in Taos County, New Mexico Sangre de Cristo Mountains Taos, New Mexico Art in New Mexico Landmarks in New Mexico New Mexico culture New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties Regions of New Mexico Tourist attractions in Santa Fe County, New Mexico Tourist attractions in Taos County, New Mexico New Mexico Scenic and Historic Byways