Taos Valley, also called Lower Taos Canyon, is a valley located in
Taos County, New Mexico
Taos County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,937. Its county seat is Taos. The county was formed in 1852 as one of the original nine counties in New Mexico Territory.
Taos County compris ...
. It is bounded by the
Rio Grande Gorge
The Rio Grande Gorge is a geological feature in northern New Mexico where the watercourse of the Rio Grande follows a tectonic chasm. Beginning near the Colorado border, the approximately gorge runs from northwest to southwest of Taos, New Mexico ...
; the deep ravine, or
Arroyo Hondo, of the
Rio Hondo; and the
Taos Mountain range. Included in the valley are
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 ...
, the Taos Pueblo, and
Taos Plaza.
Overlook
The Taos Valley Overlook of the
Río Grande del Norte National Monument, about , provides a view of the Taos Valley and the
Rio Grande Gorge
The Rio Grande Gorge is a geological feature in northern New Mexico where the watercourse of the Rio Grande follows a tectonic chasm. Beginning near the Colorado border, the approximately gorge runs from northwest to southwest of Taos, New Mexico ...
. Four rivers cross the Taos Valley:
Rio de Taos,
Rio Lucero,
Rio de las Trampas, and
Rio de San Fernando.
History
The valley was used for more than 9,000 years as a major route for travel and trade according to archaeological evidence.
Pit houses and room blocks provided the first permanent housing for inhabitants beginning about 900 A.D.
are believed to have moved into the area of the Taos Valley and tributaries of the
Rio Grande at that time.
It was the home of the puebloan people of
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 ...
beginning about 1100
or 1200 A.D.
At that time, construction began on multiple dwellings.
It was first visited by people of European descent in the 1500s, when Capitan Hernando Alvarado arrived on August 29, 1540. He was part of
Francisco Vázquez de Coronado's expedition. Alvarado met the
Tiwa people of
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 ...
.
Fray Francisco de Zamora spread the Catholic religion throughout the Taos Valley, will based at the Taos Pueblo from 1610 to 1617.
The Spanish were driven out of the area by the Puebloans in 1680.
Sixteen years later,
Diego de Vargas
Diego de Vargas Zapata y Luján Ponce de León y Contreras (1643–1704), commonly known as Don Diego de Vargas, was a Spanish Governor of the New Spain territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, to the US states of New Mexico and Arizona, titular ...
resettled the area around
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 ...
, the Taos Pueblo, and
Taos Plaza. Taos Valley had a population of 306 people of Spanish descent in 67 families in 1776. The most populated area in the valley at that time was Ranchos de Taos.
The Spanish brought modern methods for irrigation called acequias and introduced fruit and vegetables to the region. They also introduced livestock.
The Puebloans taught the Spanish how to build adobe structures.
References
External links
Taos Overlook map
{{Taos County, New Mexico
Geography of Taos County, New Mexico
Valleys of New Mexico