An artist’s rendition of the Taos Tunnels

Underneath the plaza and stretching in all directions is a network of tunnels. Many of these tunnels are mere holes dug in the ground. Others are part of more elaborate networks which have since been turned into storage areas, filled in with dirt or blocked with masonry and shelving.

There are some stretches of the tunnel that have not seen the light of day since the time of their digging. Whatever, or whoever walks there, walks alone in the dark of a thousand fears.

The tunnels were dug in the 1700s to hide from raiding bands of Commanches whose loosely drawn mission statement was to devil all the Spanish outposts and colonies in what is now the American Southwest.

The Comanches were known for their relentless cruelty toward captives.

It’s dark down in the Taos Tunnels. You’d better bring a good light.

• 

  Dark and deep. The tunnels are reported to go all the way to the Pueblo.

• 

  Sometimes, one gets the feeling someone has done pennance in the tunnels.

• 

  One entry way is behind the kegs. Be careful. the ladder is wobbly.

• 

  A one-room adobe is built over a tunnel entrance.

• 

  Under a table is a good way to obscure a tunnel entrance.

• 

  What’s the best way to keep track of this maze?

A few views of what the Taos Tunnels look like if you could see down there. It’s actually quite dark. the walls are often just dug into the dirt.

At this point in time, there are no schematics of all the places the tunnels go. Different homes and buildings in the Historic District have entrances to what’s left of the tunnels. People report all sorts of weird paranormal phenomena, including noises, voices, sensations of being watched, and contractors who have their tools relocated while they are down in the area.

There are also legends about a creature who, if he encounters you in the tunnels, will decide if you are Native American enough to be allowed to live.