The “Soul of the Southwest” is an Ancient Town Full of Art, Great Food, and Natural Beauty

Taos, New Mexico

Taos sits in northern New Mexico’s high desert at 6,969 feet above sea level. This historic pueblo town, founded in 1615, brings together Native American culture, Spanish colonial history, and modern art in one remarkable place.

From North America’s oldest adobe buildings to the towering Wheeler Peak at 12,481 feet, here’s why Taos stands out as a must-visit destination.

The Thousand-Year-Old Pueblo Still Makes Traditional Blue Corn Foods

Inside the north house of Taos Pueblo, built between 1000 and 1450 CE, the smell of fresh blue corn tortillas fills the air. They come from five generations of pueblo bakers, makes traditional foods like atole, pancakes, and tamales using corn ground on 500-year-old stones.

The pueblo’s cooks use traditional outdoor ovens called hornos that have existed since the 1300s. During the San Geronimo Feast Day on September 30th, you can try ancient dishes like piki bread, which cooks prepare by spreading thin corn batter on hot stones.

The Desert Homes That Run Without Outside Power or Water

Seven miles west of Taos on Earthship Way, unusual homes built from 1,157 recycled tires and thousands of glass bottles stay naturally cool at 70 degrees. Visitors can stay in the “Phoenix” Earthship for $185 per night and see how these homes grow their own food and collect rainwater.

The 630-acre community shows guests twice daily how they use the area’s 12 inches of yearly rain to grow food all year long in the desert. These homes work completely off the power grid, using only solar energy and natural systems.

The Gallery That Creates Art Using Only Sunlight and Prisms

Artist Charles Ross created a unique gallery where seven carefully placed prisms turn sunlight into moving rainbows on 20-foot white walls. The gallery works perfectly at Taos’s location (36.4072° N) and makes light patterns you can’t see anywhere else.

The 1,500-square-foot space uses Taos’s 280 sunny days and high altitude to create its art. Each prism sits in an exact spot to make special color patterns during summer and winter solstices.

The Mountain Hikes Where Llamas Carry Your Gear

On the 4.4-mile hike to Williams Lake at 11,040 feet, trained llamas carry up to 75 pounds of gear each. Stuart Wilde, who knows all about local plants, guides visitors and teaches them about 89 different healing plants along the way.

Experienced llamas like 12-year-old “Zeus” know how to walk safely on steep mountain paths with 45-degree slopes. While resting, hikers learn about Tiwa tribe healing traditions and enjoy packed lunches made with local ingredients.

The Museum Room Built for a Single Artist’s Vision

The Harwood Museum has a special eight-sided room showing seven large paintings by Agnes Martin, built exactly as she wanted it in 1997. Light comes through ceiling windows designed to show her 6-foot-square paintings in perfect New Mexico sunlight.

The museum also keeps Emil Bisttram’s paintings from his 52 years in Taos. You can still see his old studio with the original easel and paint marks on the floor.

The Hidden Hot Springs Along the Rio Grande

You can stroll down a hidden half-mile trail to Black Rock Hot Springs, where 97-degree water bubbles up through old volcanic rock. These natural pools sit 100 feet above the Rio Grande and contain healing minerals like lithium and calcium.

Eagles make their homes in the 800-foot canyon walls, and mountain sheep often visit at dawn and dusk. The springs stay warm even when winter temperatures drop to 15 degrees.

The Family Workshop Keeping Spanish Metal Art Alive

The Martinez family has made traditional Spanish metal art since 1873, passing down their craft through five generations. Ricardo Martinez uses his great-grandfather’s tools to create detailed patterns in recycled tin.

The Historic House Where Famous Artists Found Inspiration

Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house, built in 1922, welcomed over 200 artists and writers like Georgia O’Keeffe and D.H. Lawrence. O’Keeffe’s painting room, called the Rainbow Room, remains exactly as it was in 1929.

Writers still gather in this 12-room adobe house, working at hundred-year-old desks and looking through the same windows that inspired Lawrence’s book “Lorenzo in Taos.”

The Lavender Farm That Thrives in Desert Conditions

Purple Adobe Lavender Farm grows 2,500 lavender plants using only 13 inches of yearly rain. The plants produce more oil than French lavender because of the 320 days of sun, big temperature changes, and mineral-rich volcanic soil.

The Ski Run Known as North America’s Steepest

The K Chute on Kachina Peak drops 3,274 feet at an incredible 55-degree angle. The snow here stays powdery for 23 days after falling because of steady northwest winds and freezing summit temperatures. Experienced skiers ride the Kachina Peak Lift to 12,481 feet, where they can see four states on clear days.

The Adobe Mosque That Blends Two Building Traditions

The Dar Al Islam mosque, finished in 1981, has North America’s largest adobe dome at 55 feet across. Hassan Fathy designed it using both Islamic patterns and pueblo building methods, using 45,000 bricks made from local earth.

The building points in a direction that makes sunlight play across its detailed designs throughout the day. Workers built its 26-foot prayer niche using only traditional tools and methods.