Travelling is one of the those hobbies, which unite me and hubby, among other things. Its our taste for adventure, its our passion to explore, which takes us for at least one trip, every month. And baby, when we travel, we usually try and avoid the usual touristy crowd. No wonder I am yet to explore the Big Apple in its entirety. We land up in places like
Taos Pueblo, which is a small village tucked away at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, in New Mexico. It is surely a place where time has been standing still for the last 1000 years almost.When we say that we really mean it! In a country like the US, which screams of consumerism at every possible step, is this small Native American village,where for starters, the residents do not believe in using electricity. After spending a week in New Mexico, if someone asked me about the highlight of the trip, it would surely be visiting the quaint village.UNESCO declared Taos Peublo as the
first Living World Heritage Site in 1992. It does live up to that reputation word by word.
Nestled in an Indian Reservation, Taos Peublo is home to more than a 100 Peublo Indians, whose ancestors had migrated here, about a 1000 years back. The first thing which is told to you at the visitor's center, before you enter the village that its a scared place, and we should keep that in mind. In a working village full of so many families settled there, what amazed us was the silence which greeted us, as we walked through the gates. Another startling thing, was the overlaps which I found with between the Native Indian culture and our culture(Indians) all along the village.A quick chat with a few of the elderly ladies of the village, confirmed the overlaps, which I thought I was noticing. The houses were
Adobe structures, which meant that they were made of mud, straw as the main ingredients. The houses are plastered with Adobe every year, to cope up with seasonal erosion.The first overlap which I noticed. I could easily be in a village in remote Rajasthan, in the Thar Desert. But here I was, thousands of miles apart, in a different continent, in a different racial territory. The only difference was, that rather than the thatched straw roofs which we see in the villages back in India, here the houses were flat roofed and definitely lower structures.
The villagers continue to cook in semi circular mud ovens called
Hornos, giving cooking ranges or stoves a complete miss. Baking bread or biscuits, roasting venison, or even whipping up some Chile, it was all deftly done in the Hornos. Here came the second cultural and social overlap. These outdoor ovens somehow reminded of the Chulhas(outdoor stoves), which are so prominent in rural north western India.
Religion is something which has adapted itself along with the changing times, here in the village. The Spanish brought with them Christianity.
San Geronimo Church is an example of the architectural achievements of the Natives.After the famous Taos Revolt, and many other socio-cultural movements, Christianity exists side by side with the Native Religion. For example the central figure in the altar at the Church is that of Mother Mary, whom the Natives equated with their Central deity: Mother Nature. Native Ceremonies are observed along with Mass, by the villagers, throughout the year.
As one enters the village, one cannot help but notice the cemetery with an old bell tower. Well, this was the location where the Church initially stood. The Natives were faced with clashing cultures, with the two consecutive Spanish conquests and then the US government. While the US-Mexico war was going on,the Natives revolted against the US government and killed the Governor stationed at Taos. The US troops avenged the murder while killing many natives and destroying the first Church. There were many people who had gathered at the Church, and all of them fell at the hands of the forces.All that remains of the old Church is the bell tower,which dates back to 1600s.
Warding off the Evil Eye is another cultural overlap which I caught my eye at the village. Back in India, we have always seen, how Chili Peppers and Lemons are used as a defense against Evil Eye, outside homes.The story was quite similar here. Every house had a bunch of red chili peppers hanging at the gates, to ward off the Evil Eye. This is something which I noticed throughout the state of New Mexico. Chili Peppers hanging near the doorway or on the walls, was a common fixture everywhere.
A friend of mine,asked me,why was the river water full of soap suds/surf, as she glanced through the pictures on a social network. Well, I had to add that it was not soap suds/surf, but good old ice, which was flowing by. Did I mention it was freezing at Taos Peublo! The icy Red Willow Creek cuts through the small village and is the source of drinking water for the residents. The Willow trees growing along the banks of the river, lend their name to it. The river flows from a scared lake, called the Blue Lake, which is out of bound for non- residents, as several Native ceremonies are held out there.
When I was relating the stories of this village to my mother, back in India, the first thing she asked me, how do the Natives make their living. As the Natives pointed out, the
Place of the Red Willows was at a cross-roads of trade, and continues to be so. Nowadays, the natives handcraft silver and turquoise jewellery and pottery, among other things, like agriculture and animal husbandry. Native American Jewellery is quite a rage. Well, I made sure I had splurged a lot on those exquisite designs.Speaking of jewellery I have to mention, how a native lady, Wahleah, gifted me a pair of
Dream Catcher earrings. A Dream Catcher is a Native Indian Charm, which is usually kept in the bedroom, which helps, in chasing away evil spirits and harbouring only the good spirits. I was chatting up with her, at the village, exchanging notes on cultural overlaps, when she went to ahead, and asked me to keep that particular pair of earrings. She mentioned that Dream Catchers only work, when they were presented by someone, and I should expect some good luck coming my way. Hoping Wahleah's foretelling works for us pretty soon.
Au Revoir!
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