Capitan Hernan Alvarado and his conquistadors from the Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Expedition arrived here on August 29, 1540. The Tiwa Indians are estimated to have settled in this valley around 1350 A.D. The name Taos is believed to be an adaptation of the Tewa Indian word Towih, meaning red willows. The name was first recorded in history by Juan Belarde, secretary to Don Juan de Oñate, in 1598. Taos was first colonized by Spain in 1615.