Nambe Area

The areas to the north between Santa Fe and Taos possess some of the most spectacular and varied landscapes in New Mexico. Beautiful communities line the Taos Gorge and the Rio Grande like Espanola, Velarde & Dixon along what is called the ‘Low Road’ to Taos.

The ‘High Road’ is a scenic, winding road through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that runs between Santa Fe and Taos. Among the quaint villages that line the High Road to Taos are: Nambé, Chimayo, Truchas, Las Trampas, Chamisal, Picurís, Peñasco, Vadito, Sipapu, Talpa, and Ranchos de Taos. Many of these tiny villages perched high in the mountains have a church or Santaurio of significance. In Chimayo, you will find the famous Santuario de Chimayo, and in Las Trampas, the stately San José de Gracia Church, completed in 1776. At the end of the trail in Rancho de Taos is the San Francisco de Asis Mission Church, the subject of several paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe, and photographs by Ansel Adams, Paul Strand, and Ned Scott. Georgia O’Keeffe described it as, “one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards.” Many of these villages are home to a flourishing artistic community of weavers, potters, and traditional woodcarvers.