Taos Pueblo

No cameras allowed. A town which looks just the same as it did 500 years ago, when the Spanish first came to visit. Except the doors are now blue, because the World Heritage people thought it looked more authentic. People still live in the multi-storeyed ziggurat-like adobe structures, north and south of the swift clear stream passing through the centre of the village, making these the oldest continually inhabited dwellings in North America. That might sound all pristine and unsullied, but the Taos Indians have fought hard to maintain their identity and sovereignty for centuries now. Signs of this struggle can be seen in the eerie graveyard near the centre of the village, at the site of a church burned to the ground by the US Cavalry. But the Indians are no backward looking Luddites. They maintain their ceremonies and ceremonial centre but are also canny businessmen. You can lose your money to them at the Taos Casino, or by buying the really expensive but stunningly beautiful handicrafts for sale here. See www.taospueblo.com.