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New Mexico, A Land of Learning

Discovering the Pueblo

Just outside of Taos, a small artsy town in New Mexico, Taos Pueblo is an indigenous community and a living museum. The historic village represents the way that native Pueblo people lived in the area 100 years ago, and many historians consider the pueblo to have been at the site for more than 1,000 years.

The pueblo is most notable for its architecture, which has helped to make it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dwellings are constructed of adobe and built into the base of New Mexico’s largest mountain. The homes were originally entered through holes in the roofs, accessible via ladders leaned up against the sides of the buildings.

Today, about 100 people still live in the historic pueblo, where running water and electricity are prohibited. The locals welcome visitors, who can take pueblo tours guided by people who live there. They also visit a number of shops where they can sample Indian fry bread or pick up some local craftwork.

www.taospueblo.com

Remembering the Ranch

If, like many young people, your student travelers have a limited understanding of where their food comes from, a visit to the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces will introduce them to the world of livestock culture and the traditions that shaped much of the American West.

This museum is a combination of traditional gallery space and a working outdoor ranch. Visitors start with a tour of the main building, which has more than 24,000 square feet of exhibit space as well as a mercantile and theater. From there, visitors proceed outside, where they can explore the ranch on foot or on a tractor-pulled wagon.

The ranch has beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, sheep, goats and donkeys. Livestock tours of the property’s “South 20” highlight livestock corrals. Other tour options include the orchards and gardens, where pistachios and cacti are grown, and demonstrations in the on-site blacksmith shop.

www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org

Growing and Learning

In north-central New Mexico, Los Alamos is best known for its historical role in military science and the Manhattan Project. But student groups that explore Los Alamos and the countryside surrounding it will find a growing menu of attractions that offer both natural and scientific learning opportunities.

There are three National Park Service units in the county: Bandelier National Monument preserves the site of ancient Puebloan dwellings, Valles Caldera National Preserve introduces visitors to the geology of one of the world’s seven “supervolcanoes,” and the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park interprets the events of the Manhattan Project and the dawn of the atomic age.

Groups interested in learning more about nuclear science can visit the Los Alamos National Laboratory and explore its Bradbury Science Museum. There’s more to discover at the Los Alamos Nature Center, a new facility on the edge of a mesa overlooking a scenic canyon.

www.visitlosalamos.org

Brian Jewell

Brian Jewell is the executive editor of The Group Travel Leader. In more than a decade of travel journalism he has visited 48 states and 25 foreign countries.