Pueblo Life in New Mexico

A collection of essays, originally published between 1891 and 1924, by Mary Austin, Clifton Johnson, D. H. Lawrence, Charles Lummis, Charles Saunders and Lilian Whiting on their travels to the American Southwest.Early in the twentieth century, some of the great travel writers of the day visited the American Southwest and found cultural treasures unknown to most of the people in the world, and certainly to the majority of Americans clustered along the coastlines.Their accounts were a revelation. Today you can visit the same areas, see the same pueblos, and experience a living history of Native Americans that has been embedded in the landscape over millennia. Before you venture out, a reading of this collection of first impressions will provide a richer, deeper immersion in the history of this spectacular region and its native peoples.From the publisher's introduction: Beginning in the last decade of the 19th century, artists and other creative types began to gravitate to the new United States territory that has become known as the American Southwest. Painters found their way to Taos in New Mexico and artist and writer communities developed there and in nearby Santa Fe as early visitors encouraged others to come and be inspired by the beautiful light, extraordinary landscape and native cultures. Railroad expansion had made travel to the area easier by 1880, and tourism was heavily promoted. Harvey hotels sprang up at key train stops, offering a semblance of luxury to the intrepid traveler -- and organized excursions to far-flung pueblos and other places of interest. This is a collection of essays, articles and excerpts from the writings of a few of those early visitors -- some who came to explore but left again and some who stayed and made a home in Northern New Mexico. Written between 1891 and 1924 each conveys an early impression of the people they encountered on their travels. Read more