Acoma vs. Taos Pueblos

Old Mar 29th, 2015, 09:28 AM
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Acoma vs. Taos Pueblos

I have been to the Acoma Pueblo - the visitor's center, museum and tour. We loved the views from atop the mesa and we chose to climb down rather than take the bus. We enjoyed the overall experience especially the very knowledgeable guide. How would you compare that kind of experience to the one at the Taos Pueblo?
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 11:24 AM
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Very different. That is not to stay better or worse. Physically, it couldn't be more different.

https://www.google.com/search?q=taos...%3B2184%3B1440

Tour wise, I don't think you will be disappointed.

When are you coming??
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 11:24 AM
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I'm sure you have already seen this:
http://www.taospueblo.com/
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 11:33 AM
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Taos is a little different in that it sin't up on the top of the mesa like Acoma. The guides we had was fine in both places and they each gave the history of the place - both places said they were the oldest.

We did two different trips to Acoma - once to bring friends who hadn't been there - and we had very guides who gave quite different talks. Both talks were interesting but one spoke much more about the church and its building and the things the Acoma people did to include their beliefs and culture without letting the priests know what they were doing and about the ceremonies that still take place there. The other gave more information about the people who live there now.

An interesting thing for me was that there was a group of men repairing the adobe on one of the buildings in Taos when we were there. They were mixing the clay and straw by hand and applying it to the surface.

They have somewhat different histories with the Spanish, but both had some quite bloody times and the church in Taos was still in ruins.
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 12:46 PM
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True adobe back in the day used animal blood to moisten the mix.

Guides can make or break any tour; luckily - we have had good ones in both places/
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 12:52 PM
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They were both great and worth visiting but have to give a slight nod to Acoma, maybe our Taos guide was just having an "off" day but didn't seem like he was that interested in the tour he was giving us.
Also there was a woman at Acoma selling homemade Navajo fry bread, OMG, so good - if you get a chance, buy a piece or two.
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 01:01 PM
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Navajo Tacos are even better!

I do have to give the edge to Acoma tour guides. That said, everyone can have an off dat.
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 04:06 PM
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When we toured the Taos Puebla, our guide was a charming, young man home from college. It was an excellent tour in every way. I highly recommend it.

HTtY
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 04:38 PM
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edit: off day.
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 06:18 PM
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We didn't have time to tour Acoma, so I can't comment on the tour there. We very much looked forward to the tour at Taos. I had read much interesting information before we arrived. They were also making repairs to the pueblos when we were there. The guide we had was the most annoying person I've ever had leading a tour. Every few minutes she reminded us that the guides are volunteers and live off the tips from those who take the tours. I understand the need for making a living, but she was the most pushy tour guide I've ever seen. It was hard to enjoy the tour with her constant begging.
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 06:43 PM
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Perhaps it has something to do with this:

The median household income for the Navajo Nation is $27,389, which is approximately half that of the State of Arizona ($51,310) overall. One-third (32%) of all households on the Navajo
Nation have incomes of less the $15,000 when compared to the State of Arizona (17%. Tribal members have the same proportion of incomes between $15,000 and $35,000 (28%), a rate that is slightly higher than the State of Arizona (22%).

Poverty rates on the Navajo Nation Reservation (38%) are more than twice as high as poverty rates in the State of Arizona (15%). Almost half (44%) of all children under 18 years of age are considered to be living in poverty, while one-third (34%) of tribal members between 18 and 64 also live in poverty. Almost one-third (29%) of persons living in families on the Navajo Nation live in poverty, twice the rate of families living in poverty in the State of Arizona (13%), for example. More than one-third of all persons over age 65 (39%) also live in poverty, five times higher that the State of Arizona (8%) for this age group. Poverty rates are consistent for Navajo Nation tribal members residing in all three states.
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 07:21 PM
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I agree about individual guides - just like a docent; some are great and some not so. A guide that isn't so good can really diminish the experience. Our guide at Acoma gave a lot of history about the people and a lot of very interesting info. The climb down, the view and the visitor center (which was beautiful) enhanced the whole experience. Also, the five minute film before the tour prepared us. My sense from the Taos website is that it's more straightforward - tour only by volunteer.

Off topic - hey Deb. I was hoping you would stop by. My son is getting married in October in Abq and we'll probably stay in Santa Fe a few days with friends after. Have never been to Taos and am considering a day trip.
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Old Mar 29th, 2015, 07:33 PM
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Taos is definitely worth a day trip from Santa Fe. As others have said, the pueblo is different from Acoma and interesting in its own right.

Lee Ann
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 02:06 AM
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If you do come from Santa Fe, I would suggest that you take the highway up and the High Road back. They are completely different and both very beautiful. Check your gas before driving the High Road.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 04:55 AM
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Is there a reason to do the highway or High Road in a particular direction or particular time of day?
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 05:06 AM
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MAZEL TOV!

Won't be around in October
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 05:08 AM
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While the Balloon Fiesta is a wonderful experience [I can't remember if you've been here for it before] it does make hotel prices jump really high. I hope you won't need hotels at that time.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 05:24 AM
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I found the Taos Pueblo overrated, if being honest about it as a tourist site. The drive there is interesting. By comparison, Acoma is amazing.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 01:40 PM
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"Is there a reason to do the highway or High Road in a particular direction or particular time of day?"

Not that I can think of at the moment, but they are both lovely drives.

Lee Ann
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