Straddling a high ridge, on the scenic high road to Taos (1/2way between Sante Fe and Taos), the community began as a Spanish land grant in 1754 and, due to its geography and location, remained a relatively unchanged outpost over the centuries. These very same issues made the community attractive to artists moving to Northern New Mexico for its thriving arts scene, particularly after Robert Redford's The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) was filmed there. Because the community had remained unchanged for so long, it still operates on some of the original Spanish land grant bylaws. For example, cars must share the roads with livestock. The community has close views of the Truchas Peaks (nearly 5,000 feet above the community) and of the Española Valley.
From Wikipedia.
