The Difference between Santa Fe and Taos
Looking back to the artists and writers of 1930s-40s Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico writer Paul Horgan observed,
Between Santa Fe and Taos there was a sense of rival constituencies, and sensitive persons tended to be loyal to the powers, virtues, and dangers of one place or the other. Santa Fe was more worldly, more sophisticated. Taos believed itself to be animated by an energy that was actually occult.
Blame D.H. Lawrence and Mabel Dodge Luhan for creating much of the "Taos energies" narrative.
Having lived briefly in Taos and having visited both places off and on since my teens, I think that Horgan's distinction still applies.
Put me in the Taos group: Santa Fe's Spanish-imperialist past still lingers.
I stop for coffee in Taos, and the guy at the next table is talking about how parallel universes influence ours. In Santa Fe, it's where they came from and what glamorous destination awaits them next.
In fact, I became a capital-P Pagan in Taos. Actually, it was in the nearby village of Talpa--but still Taos County. (I see I said that once already. Where are the adobes of yesterday?)
Horgan is quoted in Barbara Harrelson's Walks In Literary Sante Fe: A Guide to Landmarks, Legends and Lore which is itself an extended bibliographic essay-with-maps about the former provincial and current state capital.
The next time I visit, I want to follow some of her walks.
Between Santa Fe and Taos there was a sense of rival constituencies, and sensitive persons tended to be loyal to the powers, virtues, and dangers of one place or the other. Santa Fe was more worldly, more sophisticated. Taos believed itself to be animated by an energy that was actually occult.
Blame D.H. Lawrence and Mabel Dodge Luhan for creating much of the "Taos energies" narrative.
Having lived briefly in Taos and having visited both places off and on since my teens, I think that Horgan's distinction still applies.
Put me in the Taos group: Santa Fe's Spanish-imperialist past still lingers.
I stop for coffee in Taos, and the guy at the next table is talking about how parallel universes influence ours. In Santa Fe, it's where they came from and what glamorous destination awaits them next.
In fact, I became a capital-P Pagan in Taos. Actually, it was in the nearby village of Talpa--but still Taos County. (I see I said that once already. Where are the adobes of yesterday?)
Horgan is quoted in Barbara Harrelson's Walks In Literary Sante Fe: A Guide to Landmarks, Legends and Lore which is itself an extended bibliographic essay-with-maps about the former provincial and current state capital.
which is itself an extended bibliographic essay-with-maps about the former provincial and current state capital.The next time I visit, I want to follow some of her walks.
Labels: New Mexico, Paganism, Writing
posted by Chas S. Clifton at 11:00 AM Permalink
2 Comments:
To the pagan blogger who wrote this:
Let me know when you are planning to visit Santa Fe, despite its Spanish imperial taint, and I would be happy to show you some places.
Barbara Harrelson, author of the book you mention--Thank you!
If I can locate you, I might. It will probably be sometime this fall.
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