Taos Pueblo

Sun July 26th 09.

( Check: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taos_Pueblo for pictures! )

Many Surprises! No Cameras, no cell phones, & later, no sketchbooks! Also a fee of 10$ per adult.
Visions of simplicity, Taos Pueblo is an interesting case of an open system over a LONG expanse of time.

A lot of different thoughts come to my head while I'm there.
Although permaculture proposes a layering of systems that increases efficiency, I have rarely seen comparisons between actual historically operating systems. ( Although i can think of isolated examples within systems.. ) But the intense layering-- the intense "stacking" as permaculture calls it.. almost seems to demand so much time as to be unable to regulate and produce what is needed (often food) from the system.

An interesting difference in Taos, is the simplicity of their water system as their creek runs through the pueblo. Perhaps no comparison is possible to cities in North Africa-- But the latter's is much more complex and fascinating.

The overlying theme i took with me from Taos pueblo was simplicity.

The most beautiful parts of New Mexico are too cold to inhabit for long. From the tour, I gathered that those parts are used for hunting and gathering. Indeed, the pueblo as used as winter housing for the people, while maintaining summer housing outside of the pueblo walls.

The housing in the pueblo typically needed a good deal of maintenance once or so a year, but besides that was very well adapted to the climate.

Taos Pueblo stands as one of the ONLY sites in the US where the folks indigenous to that region were able to continue living there after the European conquest!
I'm left with many questions.