A year-and-a-half ago I was hired by Chicago’s PBS to photograph them while they shot a documentary featuring Taos Pueblo. “Ten Homes that Changed America” will (finally!) air tonight on NM PBS at 7pm! If you are outside of NM, check your local listings so you can see this three-part series!
“A pow wow is a gathering of Indian Nations in a common circle of friendship.
Indian Country is made up of many tribal nations, bands, villages, and pueblos, each with their own traditional tribal beliefs and practices. A pow wow is the common fiber which draws Indian people together. It is a time for sharing with old friends and making new friends; a time for singing and dancing. It is a time for trading; trading craft goods and trading songs.” –by Richard Archuleta (taken from the Taos Pueblo website)
“The dance competition for women and men is broken down by age group and dance style. These include for men, the traditional, fancy, grass, and most recently, chicken dances; and the women, the traditional, fancy shawl, and jingle dress dances. The “traditional” dance style can sometimes be separated or combined into a Northern and Southern dance style. Age categories include: Golden, Adult, Teens, Juniors, and sometimes Tiny Tots.”
–Richard Archuleta
The El Monte Sagrado goes above and beyond to serve the most delicious and exquisite food in the Town of Taos! No matter what your event (wedding, anniversary, baby shower, etc), the El Monte allows you to come for your own personal “tasting” so you know exactly what you want (and what to expect) on your menu for your special occasion. Not only is the food incredible, but the service is unbelievable too. Allow yourself to be catered and pampered when you come to the El Monte, allow yourself to expect the best!
The Taos Vacation Guide describes Las Fiestas de Taos as a “time-honored festival preserving four centuries of cultural diversity and tradition unique to Taos.” Las Fiestas began in Taos in the 1930’s and always takes place at the end of July to observe the feast days of Santiago and Santa Ana (St. James and St. Anne).
In my opinion, the best “Fiestas” event in 2011 was the procession, blessing, and dancing of the the Aztec dancers at the San Francisco de Asis (St. Francis) Cathedral in Los Ranchos de Taos. I love the photos, however I do wish you could smell the cedar and feel the high energy and incredible rhythm of these dancers in perfect sync.
In my contract as the official photographer for the Town of Taos Eco Park, I was to take some photos of the FIFA certified soccer field while it was empty. I loved being alone to walk around on that bouncy turf to take photos with the sunshine and the sunset, the mountains, the park’s development, the lights and parking lot. I love that the parking lot will be covered in solar panels and the Taos Eco Park will run off of solar power. It was really neat getting this contract and being part of the opening of this green park.
