Ranchos de Taos

Driving north from Santa Fe, just as you approach Taos, turn your head to the right, and there it is--the San Francisco de Asis Church. This 18th-century adobe mission architecture just south of Taos, NM, has become an icon due to the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe and the photographs of Ansel Adams. Even if you haven’t seen the famous images of this building, its proportions are arresting. It may sit in a plaza with a parking lot, but the earthen walls seem timeless. Centuries of yearly re-coating keep the adobe fresh, and it’s still a parish church, with services in Spanish and English.

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Rear of the Adobe Icon

Driving north from Santa Fe, just as you approach Taos, turn your head to the right, and there it is--the San Francisco de Asis Church. This 18th-century adobe mission architecture just south of Taos, NM, has become an icon due to the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe and the photographs of Ansel Adams. Even if you haven’t seen the famous images of this building, its proportions are arresting. It may sit in a plaza with a parking lot, but the earthen walls seem timeless. Centuries of yearly re-coating keep the adobe fresh, and it’s still a parish church, with services in Spanish and English.

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