Residents in the region continue to speak their native languages along with English, and to share the traditions and practices of their ancestors in a cultural expression that leaves a strong imprint on residents and visitors alike. Indeed, visitors are advised that most of the place names and references are in Spanish, with Spanish pronunciations." source - Chama Valley Chamber of Commerce (https://www.chamavalley.com/copy-of-history)
"To conserve and protect the culture and traditions that define New Mexico and its unique contribution to the culture and heritage of the United States, Congress designated over 10,000 square miles of northern New Mexico as the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area (NRGNHA). The Area includes Taos, Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties. Eight pueblos (Taos, Picuris, Ohkay Owingeh, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Nambe, Pojoaque, and Tesuque) and the Jicarilla Apache Nation are all sustained within the Heritage Area. The three-county NRGNH extends from I-40 in the center of New Mexico north to the Colorado border and east to west between the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan mountain ranges, crossing the Continental Divide in the process."
"On October 12, 2006, Congress passed Public Law 109-338, which established the Northern Río Grande National Heritage Area, comprising the counties of Río Arriba, Santa Fe, and Taos in north-central New Mexico. Heritage Area designation culminated nearly 20 years of community efforts to identify ways to conserve and sustain the area's life ways, languages, folk arts, and sacred spaces, as well as, its architecture and spectacular natural and scenic landscape."