Tu-Tah,"our village", is the traditional name for Taos Pueblo.
Taos Pueblo is one of the four Tiwa speaking pueblos, and sits on a land base of 99,000 acres. Taos Pueblo sits along the Rio Pueblo, which originates in the mountains and is still the main source of drinking water for the people there. The people of Taos Pueblo have lived in the Taos Valley for around 1000 years. The main structures of the present buildings were built between 1000 and 1450 A.D. The buildings today look much as they did in 1540 when the Spanish arrived looking for the golden cities of Cibola.
The Church of San Geronimo that is currently standing in the Pueblo Plaza is the third manifestation of the original church which was completed in 1619. It was then rebuilt following its destruction first during the
Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and second during the
War with Mexico in 1847.
Since 1960 Taos Pueblo has been recognized as a National Historic Landmark and has been part of the National Register of Historic Places since 1966. Since 1992 it has also been honored to be a part of the United Nations “World Heritage List.”
Taos Pueblo is currently home to 1,900 Indian people, around 150 of which live within the old Pueblo full time.
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