Taos Pueblo, New Mexico - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

Taos Pueblo, the northernmost of the 19 New Mexico pueblos, is believed to be the oldest, continuously inhabited community in what is now the United States. Evidence suggests that the main structures date from between 1000 AD and 1450 AD. The buildings are made of adobe, a type of sun-dried brick consisting of earth and straw. The largest of these buildings, known as the north house (and the one shown on the stamp) is five stories tall.

In 1539, Friar Marcos de Niza returned from an expedition to northern New Mexico and reported that he had seen Cibola, one of the fabled seven cities of gold. Some have suggested that Friar de Niza simply made up the whole story, telling the Spanish authorities what they wanted to hear, but others have theorized that what he had actually seen was Taos Pueblo at a distance. Flecks of mica in the adobe used at that time would have made the multi-storied pueblo appear to glitter in the late-afternoon sun.

Today, members of Taos Pueblo living on pueblo lands number about 1900, but most live outside the boundaries of the old pueblo and with all modern conveniences. Families take turns living in the pueblo for a year or more at a time in order to preserve the pueblo’s heritage. At any one time there may be 150 or so inhabitants. There is no electricity or internet available and when living in the pueblo, only the Tiwa language is spoken. Taos Pueblo is both a National Historic Landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The stamp was one of fifty different designs issued in 2002 with postcard-like designs offering greetings from each of the fifty states. This one shows the “north house” of the old pueblo with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background. The view of the mountains is that from Taos Pueblo but the orientation of the pueblo building against those mountains was altered for the stamp.

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 04-Apr-2002 Denomination: 34c Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/29/2019 wildernessmama visited it