HeyTaos · Free Guide
A living Native American community, sovereign nation, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and National Historic Landmark. Taos Pueblo welcomes visitors into a community whose multi-story adobe homes have been maintained for more than a thousand years.
The traditional village is home to Hlauuma, the north house, and Hlaukwima, the south house. Taos Pueblo describes the community as continuously rooted in the Taos Valley for millennia, with the multi-story adobe homes estimated to have been built between about 1000 and 1450 AD.
This is not a museum or reconstructed historic site. Homes are privately owned, ceremonies and religious spaces remain active, and access is controlled by Taos Pueblo.
Taos Pueblo sets the rules for visiting its home. The current visitor guidance includes:
Taos Pueblo currently lists visitor hours as 9 AM to 4 PM, Sunday through Saturday, when open. Ceremonies, religious activities, community events, and unexpected circumstances can change the schedule.
Current visitor details verified August 19, 2026. Check the official event calendar before making the drive.
Taos Pueblo offers guided tours year-round when the village is open. Tours begin at 9 AM and generally run every 20 to 30 minutes depending on the season.
The Pueblo says tours typically last 20 to 30 minutes and cover important places, culture, history, and community context. Guides are volunteers and rely on visitor gratuities. Private and large-group tours can be arranged through the Tourism Office.
The north and south multi-story adobe houses remain the visual center of the village. Adobe is made from earth, water, and straw, with vigas and smaller wooden latillas supporting the roofs. The exterior walls are maintained with new layers of mud and straw plaster.
The traditional village does not use modern utilities in the same way as homes on the Pueblo's surrounding lands. It remains an active part of community and cultural life.
Red Willow Creek runs between the two main house complexes. Do not enter the water. Beyond the traditional village, tribal lands are not open to visitors unless Taos Pueblo specifically permits access.
The mountains and Blue Lake watershed are central to the Pueblo's cultural continuity and water supply.
Clearly marked businesses within the village sell work made by Pueblo artisans. Taos Pueblo identifies mica-flecked pottery, silver jewelry, moccasins, boots, drums, and contemporary fine art among the work made and sold by community members.
Buying directly from the maker keeps the transaction with the artist and gives visitors a direct connection to living Pueblo craft traditions.
Taos Pueblo states that the visitor facility is wheelchair accessible. The village environment is natural and unpaved, so surfaces can be uneven.
For accessibility questions or current conditions, contact Taos Pueblo Tourism before visiting.
Taos Pueblo describes its connection to the Taos Valley as extending back millennia. Its official history places cultivation in the valley at approximately 900 AD and estimates the present multi-story adobe homes were constructed between roughly 1000 and 1450 AD. UNESCO recognizes Taos Pueblo as a continuously inhabited settlement whose community and culture remain active today.
Spanish expeditions reached the Taos area in the sixteenth century. San Geronimo Church was first built in the early seventeenth century, destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, rebuilt, and destroyed again during the conflict of 1847. The ruins of the earlier church remain within the cemetery area, which visitors must not enter. The present San Geronimo Chapel was completed in 1850.
In 1906, the federal government removed Blue Lake and surrounding mountain lands from Pueblo control. After decades of advocacy, Congress passed and President Richard Nixon signed Public Law 91-550 on December 15, 1970, returning 48,000 acres to Taos Pueblo. The Pueblo describes the return as central to protecting its spiritual, cultural, natural, and water resources.
Taos Pueblo was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992. UNESCO recognizes the settlement for its traditional multi-story adobe architecture and, critically, for the continuity of the living community that maintains it.
Access belongs to Taos Pueblo. The Pueblo may close for ceremonies, religious activities, a death in the community, or other circumstances. Its official website and Tourism Office are the source of truth for current access.
Visitor rules, hours, admission, guided-tour information, and community history are grounded in current information published by Taos Pueblo. World Heritage context is supported by UNESCO and architectural/history context by the National Park Service.
