ART, CULTURE AND SHOPPING ARE BIG IN TINY TAOS, NEW MEXIC0

A countless number of art galleries line many streets of Taos, New Mexico. Reminders of its past as a Spanish Colonial outpost and frontier settlement are everywhere.

- Victor Block

Trendy shops attract the attention, and dollars, of buyers. The remnants of pueblos offer evidence of the influence of Native American culture.

The tiny town of Taos is worth a visit for its setting alone. It’s surrounded by high-country plains set off by towering peaks. The Rio Grande River cuts a jagged gash through the desert- like terrain.

While the population of Taos is only about 6,000, it makes up in attractions what it lacks in size. In 1540, a Spanish expedition arrived to find magnificent pueblo structures in which Tiwa (pronounced TEE-wah) Indians lived.

A period of co-existence gave way to decades of conflict, then a land grant to Spanish families led to establishment of the town that would become Taos.

The Spanish founded Taos around 1615. Its heart was a square enclosed by adobe buildings. Today that Plaza, like the rest of Taos, reveals the lasting influences of Native American, Spanish and Anglo-American cultures and traditions that have blended into a rich tapestry.

Other, threads were added fur traders and mountain men, and later by artists. Painters and other creative types have been attracted to the area by its lovely landscapes, radiant light and the blending of cultures.