Native American Culture in the Four Corners Region

Northern New Mexico is also an excellent destination for lovers with an interest in Native American culture. Tours weave through this enchanted region for 12 days, starting with two days in Albuquerque, a city that has been attracting man for over 20,000 years.

Couples can visit the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (800/766-4405), with exhibits on the history of the state's 19 Indian pueblos. Dances are performed every weekend at this site. Another popular is "Sky City," one of the oldest continually inhabited pueblos, located 70 miles west of Albuquerque atop a 365-foot sandstone mesa. The two of you can start your visit with a stop at the Acoma Tourist Center (800/747-0181).

North of Albuquerque in Santa Fe, shoppers can purchase Native American wares directly from craftsmen then attend ceremonial dances and experience pueblo life at the Indian pueblos (505/852-4265).

From Santa Fe, couples can venture north to Taos where history comes alive at sites that date back to the region's earliest inhabitants. Taos Pueblo, located about six miles northeast of town, and Picuris Pueblo, about 32 miles southeast, are living communities but open to the public except during certain religious ceremonies. Taos Pueblo is generally closed from late February through early April.

From northern New Mexico, it's a short ride to southern Colorado, home of Mesa Verde National Park, where the Anasazi Indians lived in cliff dwellings hundreds of years ago. This excellent tour can be followed by a ride on the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which winds through the San Juan National Forest and offers one of the most scenic rail journeys in the country, or a visit to the historic Victorian architecture, art galleries, and theaters of Durango.

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Photo: view from Sky City; adobe structures; iStockPhoto.com