Culinary and cultural delights in New Mexico

From Moab we began to inch East via Mesa Verde National Park and into New Mexico. We have stayed in Taos and now Santa Fe and tomorrow we will begin our week-long volunteer stint on an organic farm in Ribera, just south of Santa Fe.

New Mexico is a whole different world. It was always an enigma to me when I pondered the map of the States. Just what will one find in New Mexico? I wondered. More malls and highways? Cacti and cowboys? Injuns? It turns out that New Mexico has specialised in turf wars and art since the 1600s. The indigenous Pueblo people have suffered similarly to the aboriginal people of Australia - forced off their land, made to live in reservations with their enemies the Navajo and Apaches, sent to mission schools at the age of three to have their culture beaten out of them (literally). However, they are a proud people and their leaders are constantly trying to forge a workable identity and place for them in the post-modern world. The Hispanic people have found themselves in turn citizens of Mexico and the United States depending on which treaty has been most recently signed. New Mexico became the 47th state in 1912 after a good few years of the federal government humming and haing over whether to admit such a 'Mexican' and poor territory.

Nowadays, it is a haven for mainstream dropouts and greenies. It has a distinctly Mexican feel, but don't ever call the natives Mexicans. One finds it hard to untangle the knot of European, Pueblo and Hispanic cultures. This is a good thing, no? In Taos and Santa Fe you can't walk down a street without passing at least four art galleries. It is vibrant, colourful stuff and expresses the tangled knot in a fascinating way. I still find the ubiquitous cheeky skeleton depictions baffling, but apparently they relate to the Mexican festival, The Day of the Dead.

The cuisine is similar to Mexican, but without the heat that you might expect. Don't get me wrong, the chile is excellent, just not very hot. We have partaken of blue corn enchiladas, burritos, chimichangas and nachos. Think lots of cheese, beans and chile sauce. Orlando's restaurant in Taos (featured in video) was where we supped on two evenings. It is so popular that on any given evening you can find ten or more people sitting around a fire in the courtyard sipping Marguaritas. We were happy to oblige and met some more interesting people in the process.

The pics represent the attractive adobe architecture which is standard, a typical Catholic church and, of course, a Marguarita made with REAL lime juice.

R