Northern New Mexico Travel - Where Can I Find a Farmers Market in Taos Part 3 - Red Willow Market

October 17, 4:04 PMNorthern New Mexico Travel ExaminerJohn Lamkin

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At the edge of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, in Northern New Mexico, lies Taos Indian (Tewa) Pueblo, beneath Taos Mountain (sacred to the Tewa).

Every summer the Pueblo people bring their produce, baked goods and other delectibles to the Red Willow Farmers Market at the southern end of the Pueblo.

In addition to the fine food one often experiences the traditional drumming and singing at Red Willow.

Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years.

The Tewa people have a detailed oral history which is not divulged due to religious privacy. Archaeologists say that ancestors of the Taos Indians lived in this valley long before Columbus discovered America and hundreds of years before Europe emerged from the Dark Ages. Ancient ruins in the Taos Valley indicate Tewa people lived here nearly 1000 years ago. The main part of the present buildings were most likely constructed between 1000 and 1450 A.D. The appeared much as they do today when the first Spanish explorers arrived in Northern New Mexico in 1540 and believed that the Pueblo was one of the fabled golden cities of Cibola. The two structures called Hlauuma (north house) and Hlaukwima (south house) are said to be of similar age. They are considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the USA.

Learn more about the Taos Pueblo people at their website.

According to the New Mexico Farmers' Marketing Association (NMFMA) when you shop Farmers' Markets you support:

• A healthy lifestyle for you and your family
• A strong rural economy
• Farmers making productive use of our land and water
• The preservation of agricultural land and knowledge for future generations
• The security of our local food source
• When you purchase food from the people who grow it, it's easy to ask them questions about their growing methods, food storage or favorite recipes.

At most farmers’ markets one finds, in addition to freshly harvested produce, eggs, honey, baked goods, handicrafts, herbal remedies and an assortment of “farm” related items.

Taos Pueblo: Red Willow Farmers' Market
Location: Red Willow Education Center, 885 Star Rd.
Taos Pueblo (next to Tony Reyna's Gallery).
Schedule: Wednesdays, 3 pm - 7 pm
Market Season: July 15th - October 14th
Contact: Gordon Hirsch, (575) 751-1746
Accepts WIC* & Senior checks*

* WIC (Women, Infant & Children) Farmers' Market Nutrition Program
* Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Enhancement checks

See Farmers' Markets Part 1

See Farmers' Markets Part 2

photo: Red Willow Farmers Market, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico - by John Lamkin©