Taos Downtown Historic District is located in the center of Taos, New Mexico. It is roughly bounded by Ojitos, Quesnel, Martyr's Lane, Las Placitas and Ranchitos Streets.[3]
More broadly the area originally called Don Fernando de Taos[nb 1] is located in the Taos Valley, alongside Taos Creek and about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Taos Pueblo. In the distance is Taos Peak.[5]
Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernando de Alvardo, entered the Taos Valley in 1540.[7] The area was settled by Spanish colonialists starting about 1615.[2] What had begun as good relationships between the people from the pueblo and the settlers became contentious due to "brutal treatment" of the pueblo residents by the Franciscan missionaries, pressure to convert to Christianity, and demands to make tributes to encomenderos. Some of the colonists left the Taos area in 1840 after the Franciscan priest was killed. In 1661 some people returned to the still difficult situation.[8] Due to the poor treatment of the residents of the pueblo, a revolt by indigenous peoples in 1680 resulted in the Spanish being driven out of the area.[7][2] Sixteen years later the Taos valley was resettled by Don Diego de Vargas of Spain with a renewed and more respectful perspective. Spanish families settled in the Taos Plaza area and Ranchos de Taos.[7][8] In 1710 the Spanish regained the territory.[2]
For protection against attacks by Plains Indians, many people of Spanish heritage lived on,[9] or built houses very near, the Taos Pueblo. Subsequently, concerned about the rate of intermarriage between the Spanish and people of the pueblo, the Spanish were asked to move at least "one league" away from the pueblo.[10]
In 1779 the Battle of Cuerno Verde was led by Juan Bautista de Anza against the Comanches. Several tribal leaders and the chief were killed during the battle. As a result, the hostilities by that tribe subsided.[8] In 1794 an order was initiated that prohibited Spanish, Negroes and mulattoes from living on pueblo lands. In addition, the General Indian Policy by Commandant General Teodoro de Croix resulted in a reduction in hostile attacks in the Taos Valley.[9]
In 1796,[nb 2] The Don Fernando de Taos Land Grant gave land to 63 Spanish families in the Taos valley,[6][2] including the Taos Plaza which was then called Don Fernando de Taos.[3][nb 1] The settlement was built as a fortified plaza,[3] with strong gates to enclose the settlement to protect the residents and livestock at threats of attack by Plains Indians. At each corner of the thick adobe walls of the plaza sentries stood guard for protection. Within the plaza, residents celebrated during fiestas, engaged in church festivities, and traded goods.[2] It is now a central plaza surrounded by residential areas.[3]
Mountain men who trapped for beaver nearby made Taos their home in the early 1800s.[6] In December 1826 Kit Carson arrived[12] and later married Josefa Jaramillo from Taos.[7] At that time there were about 500 settlers in Taos. It was almost as important as Santa Fe and was the northernmost custom depot of the Spanish colonial settlements.[5] As the Santa Fe Trail was established between the American territory of Missouri and Santa Fe, fur trade and goods trade developed in Taos for people of American, Spanish and Native American heritage.[12] Santa Fe Trail traders included Charles Bent and William Bent who operated Bent's Fort.[13] Goods produced in Taos included furs, blankets, and "Taos lightning", made from fermented wheat.[12]
In 1830 building housing a jail and courthouse was built on the north side of the plaza. The Columbian and Don Fernando hotels, saloons and gambling establishments were built to accommodate the influx of visitors to Taos.[2]
The United States took possession of New Mexico in 1847 (during the Mexican–American War). In retaliation, some former Mexican citizens and Taos Natives rebelled and during the Taos RevoltCharles Bent, the first territorialgovernor, was killed in his home. In response, the United States Army killed more than 150 people at the Taos Pueblo and destroyed the original San Geronimo Mission. In 1850, New Mexico and Arizona became an official territory of the United States.[6]
Taos, one of the oldest Spanish settlements in the Taos valley, has examples of Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival, Pueblo Revival and Territorial architecture.[3]
"Artists Bert Geer Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein stop to have a broken wagon wheel repaired, become enchanted with Taos and decide to stay. This event starts an immigration of artists that continues today."[7]
Inspired by the movie Easy Rider in which bikers "briefly discovered peace, creativity, and free love",[14]Hippies arrived in Taos in the 1960s and 1970s and their residence influenced the culture of Taos.[7]
^ abThe town name Don Fernando de Taos may be based upon King Ferdinand of Spain or a man named Fernando Vidalpando whose daughter, Marie Rose, was kidnapped by Comanches.[5] Don Fernando de Taos was the name of the 1797 land grant that resulted in the founding of Taos.[6]
^There are different dates given for the Don Fernando de Taos Land Grant. According to the New Mexico Office of the State Historian, the grant was issued May 1, 1796. The following year water rights were given for access to excess water from the Lucero and Taos Rivers for crop irrigation. In 1799 a grant allowed for individual allotment of land for farming.[9]
^ abcdefghLyn Bleiler, Society of the Muse of Southwest. Images of America: Taos. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. 2011. ISBN0-7385-7959-9
^ abcJ. J. Bowden. Don Fernando Land Grant. New Mexico Office of the State Historian. New Mexico State Record Center and Archives. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
![Taos Plaza and La Fonda Hotel, part of which was once the Bent and St. Vrain Store[10]](File:Taos_plaza_la_fonda.jpg)
