When you arrive at Taos Pueblo (just north of modern Taos), you are confronted with a gate and a big parking lot at the entrance of the town. As it is both a historical site and there are still about 150 people living here, it's kind of a working museum village. You have to pay an entrance fee for yourself and your camera to get in (10 + 5 dollars). Despite the worries stated in Paul Tanner's review below (his visit dating from 1963), it has not become too commercialized however in my opinion. People keep their distance, and there are large parts of the town and the surrounding grounds that are only open to locals.

From the pictures I had seen, I imagined that the Pueblo would be on a hill, but it turns out to be a flat square with two large building structures on either side (the North House and the South House). These are all individual living quarters that share walls. The entrance used to be via a ladder from the roof.

The pretty San Geronimo church also is on the central square. Some locals were just adding a fresh layer of white and beige paint to its thick adobe walls. Catholicism has clearly been incorporated into contemporary Pueblo culture.

I roam around between the houses for a while. You can't go very far: many places are restricted areas. It reminds me of Mali: the simple adobe buildings, the harsh sunlight. Or I Sassi di Matera. There's no electricity or running water here. The water for daily use comes from the small stream that crosses the central square. Drying racks (for meat and corn) and ovens (for bread) can be seen outside. It's amazing (and brave) that this way of living can still survive in the US in the 21st century.