Taos and Bandelier National Monument

Sorry I missed you yesterday (it was a very busy day),

Yesterday we visited Taos pueblo, which is community still inhabited by Pueblo people. The picture below shows the type of dwellings, called kivas, the people of the community live in. They are, in fact, made of adobe and most are one story with multiple rooms. Fun Fact: Almost all of the kivas in the Taos pueblo do not have staircases and to get to the second level of their kiva by using a ladder outside the house. After we went on a quick tour of the pueblo, we were given the chance to walk around town and visit the shops (which you can also see in the picture above) where I got to meet the people of the pueblo.

Today we hiked Bandelier National Monument, which was absolutely beautiful. Before we actually went on the hike, we watched a movie that briefed us on the park and its history. There was one quote by a Pueblo man that said "We survive because we remember." He then went on to explain that they remember their connection to their ancestors as well as nature. That kind of made me think about my own life and what I remember. Do I even really "remember?" (In that whole metaphorical way.) Well I guess that will be my tidbit of wisdom for the day; remember your who you are and where you came from and don't take that for granted. During the hike we saw these huge mountains with tiny holes in them where Native Americans used to live. In the picture below, you can definitely see this (at least I hope). Well that's all for now.

L