Continuously inhabited for perhaps eight hundred years, the two multistory adobes at Taos Pueblo , two miles north of Taos plaza and half a mile east of Hwy-68, constitute the most impressive Native American dwelling place still in use. The 150 full-time residents of Hlauuma, the north house, and Hlaukwima, the south house - separated by the Rio Pueblo de Taos, which flows down the hills from the sacred Blue Lake, inaccessible to outsiders - have made few concessions to the modern world, living without toilets, running water or electricity.

Each day between 9am and 6pm, whenever sufficient visitors are waiting, short tours of the complex provide an introduction to its traditions and culture; though you do not enter the actual adobes, several smaller buildings are open as craft shops. Car and camera fees are charged ($10, plus $10 for still photography and $20 for a video camera; tel 505/758-1028 or ).

For most of the year, Pueblo life continues with scant regard for the intrusion of tourists, but feast days and dances, held throughout the summer, can be spectacular. The biggest parties are the Corn Dances in June and July and the Feast of San Gerónimo at the end of September, when outsiders flock to join the general revelry. The pueblo is sometimes closed during tribal events, however; check before you visit.

Taos Pueblo

• Taos Pueblo

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