Taos was established following the Spanish conquest of the Pueblo villages.

During the 1770s Taos was repeatedly raided by Comanches who at that time lived in the plains of what is now eastern Colorado. Juan Bautista de Anza, governor of the Province of New Mexico, led a successful punitive expedition in 1779 against the Comanches.

After the U.S. takeover of New Mexico in 1847, Hispanics and Amerindians in Taos staged a mini-rebellion, known as the Taos Revolt, in which the newly appointed U.S. Governor, Charles Bent, was killed.

Beginning in 1899, artists began to settle in Taos and created the "Taos Society of Artists". In time the Taos art colony developed. Many paintings were made of local scenes, especially of Taos Pueblo and activities there. Many of the artists used Native Americans from the pueblo as models in often fanciful paintings. Some of the artists' studios have been preserved and may be viewed by visitors to Taos.

Here are a few of my images from this interesting artful town in New Mexico.

Click the picture to visit more photos of this area. All pictures in this gallery are for sale. If you would like a print or want to use a photo for commercial use please contact me at alvance@charter.net