You are welcome to wander around and enter any of the handful of craft shops and galleries that are open—a good opportunity to see inside the mud structures and to buy some of the distinctive Taos pottery, which is only very lightly decorated but glimmers with mica from the clay particular to this area; these pots are also renowned for cooking especially tender beans.

On your way out of the pueblo, you may want to stop in at the Oo-oonah Arts Center (575/770-2110, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. daily Apr.–Oct.), where the gallery displays the work of pueblo children and adults enrolled in its craftwork classes—you can often find very skilled work here that’s quite well priced. Twenty-five percent of the sales benefit the work of the nonprofit center, and the remainder goes to the artists.

Another attraction on the road out: Tiwa Kitchen (575/751-1020, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Wed.–Mon., $8), which serves simple traditional food, such as grilled buffalo and heirloom green chile.