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Tawapa was a hippie commune that operated north of Placitas, New Mexico. It was founded in 1970 and dissolved in the 1990s. It was located along Las Huertas Creek near the Sandia Mountains. A spring flowed through Tawapa. Watercress grew by the spring.

History

Lower Farm

At the commune of Lower Farm one Donald Waskey called himself Ulysses, claiming to be the reincarnation of Ulysses S. Grant. He also claimed to be the reincarnation of Vulcan and Jesus Christ. He murdered two people, and once ran for governor of New Mexico. He was the commune's self-proclaimed leader.

Tawapa

In 1970, due to problems at Lower Farm, several couples left and founded Tawapa along Las Huertas Creek. Many people, especially youth, settled in Tawapa in the 1970s. The commune grew by word of mouth and through magazine articles. They constructed houses there. The commune appeared on a map of hippie communes, drawing more people. Several other communes were founded in the area, such as Sun Farm and Dome Valley. The people living in Tawapa claimed adverse possession over the land. However, they were ultimately evicted by people holding legal title. Housing developments in the 1990s forced people to leave Tawapa.

Post-disestablishment

Later, environmental damage was caused by the increasing number of houses, as well as groundwater mining. The spring mostly ran dry, while Sun Farm experienced a water shortage in the late 2010s and early 2020s.

References

1. ^ Julyan, Robert (1998). The place names of New Mexico (2nd ed, rev ed.). Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-1689-9.
2. ^ Smith, Mike (2006). Towns of the Sandia Mountains. Images of America. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub. ISBN 978-0-7385-4852-4. OCLC 76884067.
3. ^ Anderson, Kay Kind Bradley (February 6, 2024). As Best I Can Remember: What's a nice Jewish girl from Philadelphia doing in a place like this? (1st ed.). Outskirts Press. ISBN 9781977264749.
4. ^ Matthews, Kay (2015). Culture clash: environmental politics in New Mexico forest communities: a memoir, 1970-2000. Santa Fe: Sunstone Press. ISBN 978-1-63293-005-7.
5. ^ Fairfield, Richard (1972). Communes USA; a personal tour. Baltimore, Md: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-003489-9.
6. ^ Price, Roberta; Miles, George, eds. (2010). Across the great divide: a photo chronicle of the counterculture. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-4957-6.
7. ^ "Flashbacks". www.newmexicomagazine.org. 2013-03-08. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
8. Miller, Timothy (2012). "New Mexico's Communal Settlers". New Mexico Historical Review.
9. Hovey, Kathryn (2005). Anarchy and community in the new American West: Madrid, New Mexico, 1970–2000. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-3446-6.
10. ^ "Will the little places of New Mexico survive economic growth?". NM Political Report. 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
11. ^ "Healing Clan". NM Healthy Soil Working Group. 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
12. Scurlock, Dan (1998). From the Rio to the Sierra: An environmental history of the Middle Rio Grande Basin (Report). Ft. Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. doi:10.2737/rmrs-gtr-5.

• 1970 establishments in New Mexico
• 1990s disestablishments in New Mexico
• History of Sandoval County, New Mexico
• Hippie movement