Some 6,000 years ago, nomadic hunter-gatherers passed through the Taos area,
leaving behind arrowheads, potsherds, and pictographs. In the early 20th
Century, Doc Martin, Taos' beloved country doctor, said, "God's in
charge of everything that happens in Taos!" As you visit our community,
you'll see that Taos is a place where history is honored and continues to
be made every day. Some dates relating to human habitation and activities
in Taos and its environs include:
900A.D.
|
Settlements throughout the Taos valley. Some ruins can be seen today
south of Abiquiu.
|
| 1000 |
Present villages of Taos Pueblo and Picuris Pueblo were inhabited by this date. |
| 1500s - 1540 |
Some rooms at Taos Pueblo set aside for visiting Kiowa, Apache, and Comanche
traders. Captain Alvarado leads first European explorers, the Coronado
expedition, into the area. |
| 1598 |
Don Juan de Oate comes as official colonizer of Spain's province, Nuevo
Mexico, and assigns Fray Francisco de Zamora to serve Taos and Picuris Pueblos. |
| 1613-1690 |
Numerous Spaniards have settled in Taos Valley and more than 50 missions
constructed throughout New Mexico. |
| 1680 |
The Pueblo Revolt initiated at Taos, when growing conflicts escalated and all
Spaniards were either killed or driven from the province. This uprising
was the most successful on the North American continent, and it was 13 years
before the Spanish returned. |
| 1692 |
Diego de Vargas reconquers New Mexico for Spain, and in 1693 begins
resettlement of the province. |
| 1696 |
Second Taos Pueblo revolt; de Vargas puts down the rebellion. Population
of the area grows. Acequias (irrigation ditches) are built; some remain
in operation today. |
| 1725 |
Ranchos de Taos (originally Las Trampas de Taos) becomes a permanent Spanish
settlement. |
| 1739 |
The first French traders, led by the Mallete brothers, attend the Taos
Fair. Such trade fairs were considered important; leaders of the annual
caravan to Chihuahua, Mexico, planned its schedule so as not to miss the Taos
Fair. |
| 1760 |
Chronic attacks by the Plains Indians lead to a decline in population of the
Valley. Spanish settlers sometimes move into Taos Pueblo for protection
from the raiders. |
| 1779 |
Colonel del Anza passes through Taos on his return from Colorado, where he
decisively defeated Comanches led by Cuerno Verde. De Anza named the
Sangre de Cristo Pass, as well as the road between Taos and Santa Fe,
designating it part of El Camino Real. |
| 1796-1797 |
Land given to 63 Spanish families as the Don Fernando de Taos Land Grant. |
| 1800s |
By the early part of the century, Taos had become the headquarters for a number
of mountain men who trapped beaver nearby. In 1826, Christopher "Kit"
Carson (1809-1868) moved to Taos. A soft-spoken man with a gift for
languages, he bought the house (built in 1825), which is now the Kit Carson
Museum, as a wedding present for his bride, Maria Josefa Jaramillo. They
lived in it until their deaths in 1868. |
| 1804 |
Severino Martin (later Martinez) builds La Hacienda de los Martinez, which
still exists as a museum. It becomes an important trade center and the
headquarters of an extensive ranching operation. Martinez's eldest
son is Padre Antonio Martinez, who fought Bishop Lamy in an attempt to preserve
the Hispanic character of the Catholic Church. He also created the first
coeducational school in New Mexico (1833), brought the first printing press to
Taos (1834), and founded "El Crepusculo," a weekly newspaper, in 1835. |
| 1815 |
The mission church, San Francisco de Asis at Ranchos de Taos, begun about 1772,
is finished. |
| 1821-1846 |
Numerous land grants by Mexico lead to additional settlement. |
| 1846-1848 |
Mexican-American War. General Stephen Kearney and his troops occupy the
province. |
| 1847 |
U.S. takes possession of New Mexico. Some former Mexican citizens and
Taos Natives rebel, killing the first territorial governor, Charles Bent, in
his Taos home. U.S. Army retaliates against the Pueblo, killing more than
150 people and destroying the original San Geronimo Mission. |
| 1848 |
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the Mexican-American War.
|
| 1850 |
Official designation of the Territory of New Mexico, which includes Arizona |
| 1866 |
Gold dicovered in the Moreno Valley; many new settlers enter the area.
|
| 1880 |
A narrow-gauge railroad, the Denver and Rio Grande Western, built from Alamosa,
Colo., to 25 miles southwest of Taos. Later named the Chili Line, it was
discontinued in World War II. |
| 1892-1906 |
Carson National Forest gradually created from the Pecos River Forest Reserve,
the Taos Forest Reserve, and part of the Jemez Mountain Ranges. |
| 1898 |
Artists Bert Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein stop in Taos to have a broken
wagon wheel repaired. Enthralled by the scenery and clear light, they
decide to stay. They invite other artists to Taos, and in 1912, form the
Taos Society of Artists with other new arrivals. |
| 1912 |
New Mexico becomes the 47th state of the union. |
| 1917 |
Mabel Dodge Luhan arrives in Taos, and becomes a central figure in attracting
celebrities that include Ansel Adams, Willa Cather, Adous Huxley, Carl Jung,
D.H. Lawrence, Georgia O'Keefe, Thornton Wilder, and Thomas Wolfe.
|
| 1931 |
Patrocino Barela begins to be known internationally for his artistic
transformation of the Hispanic santero tradition. |
| 1915-1944 |
Many Taos residents fought in World Wars I and II, and died for their
country. Bataan Hall, part of Taos Civic Plaza and Convention Center, and
a large cross at Taos Plaza honor the Taosenos who were in the Bataan Death
March. |
| 1942 |
Publication of Frank Waters' novel, The Man Who Killed the Deer, the story
of a Pueblo man trying to live in two worlds. |
| 1955 |
Ernie and Rhoda Blake open Taos Ski Valley. |
| 1965 |
Steel arch bridge completed west of Taos, spanning the Rio Grande 650 feet
above the river. It is the second highest suspension bridge in the U.S.
|
| 1950-1969 |
Taosenos fight in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. The Vietnam Memorial
in nearby Angel Fire lists names of those who gave their lives in the Vietnam
War, as well as the survivors. |
| 1960-1970s |
Remember Easy Rider? Parts of the movie were filmed in Taos, which
attracted hundreds of "hippies" during that period. Many of them stayed
and became part of the diverse and colorful landscape of Taos culture.
|
| 1970 |
U.S. returns the sacred Blue Lake to Taos Pueblo in a landmark decision. |
| 1974 |
Publication of Taos writer John Nichols' novel, The
Milagro Beanfield War, a fictional account of the Hispanic community in a town
very much like Taos, centering on water rights issues in an arid region.
Robert Redford adapted the book for a movie, released in 1988.
|
| 1992 |
Old village of Taos Pueblo designated a World Heritage
Site by the World Heritage Foundation under the auspices of the United Nations. |
