One of our favorite parts of traveling and visiting new places, especially places where we have had a wonderful time, is selecting a small souvenir or memento of that location to bring home with us. This helps us to remember the special time we had, as well as helping us to feel a bit like we are on vacation all year long. (As you can tell, this is a common theme in my life—that quest for the year-long vacation. We are not full time RVers, but I am guessing that is what it would feel like—at least most of the time!)
As some of you may remember, Taos, NM is one of the places my family enjoys visiting. While we love the location, the history, the culture, the ambiance and the food, it is the souvenirs that are one of the best parts of any trip to Taos.
There are a variety of unique locations to pick up a choice Taos souvenir. As you’ve heard from me before, the Taos Pueblo, a World Historic site is not to be missed. During your visit, there are a number of shops providing a wide selection of various items that are easy to bring home and will allow you to bring a bit of Taos with you. There is a wide variety of jewelry, as well as artwork, food items and the like. One of our favorite items to purchase at the Pueblo is the drum. This photo is a drum we purchased at a shop on the Pueblo several years ago. It now adorns our living room and is a terrific conversation piece!
If you’ve already been to the Pueblo, there are also numerous shops in town at which you may purchase a drum if you are looking for one. But we prefer to go right to the source. For instance, we know that the drum we purchased was made by the uncle of the young woman who sold it to us. The same is true with jewelry. Terry purchased a necklace for me at the Pueblo (for a very reasonable price, I might add) from a woman whose son actually killed the bear whose claw adorns the piece.
Other shops in town carry home furnishing items in addition to jewelry and drums. Spanish tile is a popular item to purchase and take home. Then, when you incorporate that into your kitchen or bath back home, you have a bit of your vacation there with you.
Still another popular item is a kiva ladder. A kiva is a sacred place to traditional Pueblo tribes. It is a place for ceremonies and spiritual events. Often only certain members of the tribe were allowed to visit the kiva. As they were typically located below ground, ladders were needed to climb down into the kiva. These ladders have been a popular item to use in decorating southwestern-style homes. While such a ladder may not exactly complement the décor of a typical Midwestern home, it would be an interesting conversation piece. However, this may be difficult to transport if , for some reason, you are flying home from your trip!
The item I am going to look for this year on our trip west is one of the colorful benches so readily available at shops in Taos. I have just the patio that it would look great on! And sitting on it enjoying the sunset will make me feel like I am still on vacation!
For more information about camping and traveling in New Mexico, check out New Mexico camping and things to do in New Mexico.