National Heritage Areas (Non-Units) - New Mexico

Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area

9/10/2008 Up through Santa Fe to Las Trampas and the mission church of San Jose de Gracia [NHL, in Las Trampas Historic District], driving along the Taos High Road (part of which is the Old Spanish NHT, North Branch) through beautiful mountain scenery in great weather. The 1780 church is in the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area. Checked out the outside (can’t go in) and graveyard, then back down to near Santa Fe and the Tesuque Pueblo (near Camel Rock, also visited). Couldn’t do anything, just drove by on the Old Spanish NHT North Route, connecting Santa Fe with California by a few routes.

The Las Trampas sign

A close shot of the church

Another angle on the church

An interesting grave marker

Some details on top

Tesuque sign ...

... and a long view of the pueblo

4/28/2017 We continued north just a short way, albeit on a detour dirt road now a muddy mess, to the Taos Pueblo NHL District. Taos is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Tiwa-speaking tribe of Puebloan people, considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the U.S. The site is also in the Northern Rio Grande NHA. As we visited here, the weather cleared to spots of sun and it was quite pleasant, despite the mud we had to walk around on/in. We checked out the church as well as the North and South parts of the functioning Pueblo and Reservation. We enjoyed the views of the snow on the mountains, examining the details of the classic adobe construction dwellings, the group of friendly dogs wondering around, even the unique smell of the wood smoke in the air. On our way back to the car we stopped at a picturesque snow-covered cemetery just begging to be photographed. ... El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail

Me by the sign

A panorama of the Pueblo

Construction details ...

... including roof ladders

The church ...

... with nice doors

Me and Ken

Close-up of a ramada

Unusual cemetery in the snow ...

... and us again