Once we got to the village, I called 911 (there were no cell phones in those days), and it took the paramedics about an hour to get up there. Truches is a mountain village with no hospital – the nearest was in Espanola. The paramedics checked them both and rushed them to the hospital. I am convinced if they had stayed there one more night they would both be dead. It is hard to describe how remote that mountain road actually is – NOBODY would have gone up there in the winter. If it weren’t for Cinco and his horse intuition, two people might have lost their lives. The couple called later to thank me, and I thought to myself, “Cinco deserves the thanks. He’s the one who absolutely insisted that I take that road that morning.” I love Toronado and Patron, but I still think about and miss Cinco.  

Starting at one side of the Pueblo, the dancers move from area to area, stopping from time to time to stomp and sway to the drumbeats, songs and chants of the elders. The men are bare chested (which is incredible for January), and the characters in their animal costumes come to life amid the music and the fires. Although it is an extremely serious ceremonial dance, one can’t help but smile at the little boys of four to six years of age, dancing while keeping buffalo heads and hides erect upon their small frames.

Since no photography is allowed, Ed’s painting, “Spiritual Dusting,” captures the mood and essence of the Buffalo Dance. Ed says, “It’s an honor to visit the pueblo and attend their ceremonies. Where else in the United States can you experience something so personal and spiritual? We are blessed to be welcomed into the Taos Pueblo and to witness one of their most ancient ceremonies.”