town, seat of Taos county, New Mexico, U.S. It lies on a branch of the Rio Grande in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, near Wheeler Peak, the highest point in New Mexico, 55 miles (89 km) north-northeast of Santa Fe. The name comes from the Spanish rendering of Tiwa, the name of the indigenous Pueblo people. An early Spanish settlement, Taos was the scene of the so-called Pueblo Rebellion (1680) against Spain. The Taos Trail was a branch of the Santa Fe Trail, and the town became an important trading centre. In 1847 Charles Bent (Bent, Charles), the U.S. civil governor of the province of New Mexico, was killed in Taos during an Indian uprising.

The community is a service centre for nearby ranches and actually consists of three villages: Don Fernando (also Fernandez) de Taos (known as Taos), the pueblo of San Geronimo (Taos Pueblo), and the Ranchos de Taos; Taos Pueblo's adobe settlement was designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1992. With its picturesque adobe architecture, Taos was given impetus as a resort colony for writers and painters by Mabel Dodge Luhan (Luhan, Mabel Dodge), a wealthy patron of the arts whose home became a centre for visiting artists, such as Ansel Adams, Marsden Hartley, Alfred Stieglitz, and Georgia O'Keeffe. The novelist D.H. Lawrence (Lawrence, D.H.) lived outside Taos (1922–25), where he wrote his novel The Plumed Serpent (1926). His ranch is maintained by the University of New Mexico. The grave of the frontiersman-scout Kit Carson (Carson, Kit) is the site of a memorial state park, and the house he occupied from 1853 to 1868 is preserved. Taos is the headquarters of Carson National Forest, and Taos Ski Valley is 19 miles (31 km) north-northwest. The area is well known for its Indian fiestas and ceremonial dances and is a centre for artists and artisans. Inc. 1933. Pop. (1990) 4,065; (2000) 4,700.

county, a scenic region in northern New Mexico, U.S., bordered on the north by Colorado. It lies in the Southern Rocky Mountains. The Sangre de Cristo range in the eastern portion of the county features high, aspen-covered mountainsides; much of it is more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above sea level, culminating in Mount Wheeler (13,161 feet 【4,011 m】), the highest point in New Mexico. Western Taos county is a plateau region with isolated mountains, including Ute Peak (10,093 feet 【3,076 m】). The Rio Grande flows through the Picuris Range in a deep gorge, curving from north to southwest. Carson National Forest, including the Latir Peak and Wheeler Peak wildernesses, covers much of the county. The Taos and Picuris Pueblo Indian reservations, Wild Rivers and Orilla Verde national recreation areas, Kit Carson State Park, and the Ski Rio, Red River, Taos, and Sipapu ski areas are among the county's other attractions.

The Taos pueblo has been inhabited since AD 1350. Spanish explorers first arrived in 1540, and a mission church was built at the pueblo in 1617. The Indians at Taos revolted against Spanish rule in 1631, 1680, and 1695; in the 18th century they joined forces with settlers to defend themselves against Ute, Navajo, and Comanche raids; and in 1847 they revolted against U.S. rule. The county was established by Mexico in 1844 and reestablished by the New Mexico Territory of the United States in 1852.

Taos county is noted for its Indian ceremonies and celebrations and for its arts colony, which was established late in the 19th century. Tourism and recreation are major elements in the economy, as is molybdenum mining. The town of Taos is the county seat. Area 2,203 square miles (5,707 square km). Pop. (2000) 29,979; (2007 est.) 31,608.