Constructed 1870.
La Loma Plaza was one of the first settlements in the Taos area, established in the 1870s by settlers of the Don Fernando de Taos land grant. This plaza was built as an enclosure of homes with common walls, creating a defensive style plaza for the inhabitants. Most homes had their own wells and gardens. Teams of horses, cows, pigs, and chickens were kept in corrals in back of the houses. The families that settled in this compound were some of the founding fathers and artists of the community. In 1874-75, Gabriel Jeantet (now spelled Jeantete) and his son Filiberto Jeantet (great grandfather and grandfather to Eloy Jeantete) along with members of the community, built the San Antonio Chapel, which is on the north side of the Plaza. Following a written petition by community members, Archbishop Lamy blessed the church in October of 1876. Today, most of the houses have been restored and the quiet, peaceful character of the plaza still exists. (source: Historic Taos, A Self guided walking tour)
La Loma Street Taos, NM 87571
Photo by Carole Henson, Wikimedia.
