Taos

Sister cities

• Xalisco

History

The Taos Pueblo, which borders the north boundary of the town of Taos, has been occupied for nearly a millennium. It is estimated that the pueblo was built between 1000 and 1450 AD, with some later expansion. The pueblo is considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States. Located in a tributary valley off the Rio Grande, it is the most northern of the New Mexico pueblos. The pueblo, at some places five stories high, is a combination of many individual homes with common walls. There are over 1,900 Taos Puebloans living within the greater pueblo-area community. Many of them have modern homes near their fields and live there in the summer months, only staying at their homes within the main North or South pueblo buildings during cooler weather. About 150 people live within the main pueblo buildings year-round. Taos was established c.1615 as Don Fernando de Taos, following the Spanish conquest of the Indian Pueblo villages. Initially, relations of the Spanish settlers with Taos Pueblo were amicable, but resentment of meddling by missionaries, and demands by encomenderos for tribute, led to a revolt in 1640; Taos Indians killed their priest and a number of Spanish settlers and subsequently fled the pueblo, not returning until 1661. In 1680, Taos Pueblo joined the widespread Pueblo Revolt. After the Spanish Reconquest of 1692, Taos Pueblo continued armed resistance to the Spanish until 1696, when Governor Diego de Vargas defeated the Indians at Taos Canyon. Between 1780 and 1800, Don Fernando de Taos (now simply Taos) was established. It was built as a fortified plaza with adobe buildings and is now a central plaza surrounded by residential areas. Mountain men who trapped beaver nearby made Taos their home in the early 1800s.…

Geography

Taos is located at (36.393979, −105.576705). The town has a total area of , all land. Taos is located within two watersheds, categorized as subwatersheds or HUC12s in the United States. The town is mostly located in the Outlet Rio Fernando del Taos Watershed, where its two waterbodies are rated as impaired. A coalition of local organizations are working to improve the watershed's health. The northern edge of town is within the Rio Fernando del Taos-Rio Pueblo del Taos Watershed. Just to the west of Taos is the Rio Grande Gorge, cutting through the basalt flows of the Taos Plateau volcanic field and crossed by the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, now a part of U.S. Route 64. The elevation of the town is . Just north of Taos is Wheeler Peak, at , the highest point in New Mexico. |source 2 = XMACIS2 (mean maxima/minima, snow depth 1981–2010) }} Dirt roads and driveways in Taos can experience a particularly bad mud season when winter weather is followed by unseasonably warm temperatures. This occurs because area soil is heavy with silt, which makes it vulnerable to frost heaving.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• TAOS HIGH
  High · TAOS · 758 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• ENOS GARCIA ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · TAOS · 375 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• TAOS MIDDLE
  Middle · TAOS · 326 students · 9.9:1 ratio
• TAOS ACADEMY
  High · TAOS · 274 students · 13:1 ratio
• RANCHOS DE TAOS ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · RANCHOS DE TAOS · 272 students · 11.8:1 ratio
• TAOS MUNICIPAL CHARTER
  Elementary · TAOS · 218 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• TAOS INTEGRATED SCHOOL OF ARTS
  Elementary · TAOS · 206 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• ANANSI CHARTER SCHOOL
  Elementary · EL PRADO · 195 students · 11.5:1 ratio