Mixed Media
The Massacre of Don Pedro Villasur at the New Mexico History Museum
The new graphic novel by Santa Fe-based artist Turner Avery Mark-Jacobs breathes life into the disastrous 1720 expedition of Don Pedro Villasur, which is famously depicted in the Palace of the Governor’s Segesser Hide Paintings.
Acting under the orders of the governor of the Spanish colony of Nuevo México, Villasur’s mission was to capture French traders on the plains in hopes of gathering intelligence on French activities in the region. The expedition left Santa Fe on June 16, 1720, and by August had reached what is now Nebraska. At dawn on Aug. 14, the expedition was besieged by Pawnee and Otoe forces. Villasur was killed.
Mark-Jacobs makes the story of Villasur accessible to contemporary audiences. Still, he said he was hesitant about creating the graphic novel because of the amount of research involved and the difficulties of turning a historic event into an entertaining narrative.
Challenged by the discrepancies in various accounts of the Villasur expedition, which ended in a massacre, he chose a narrative framework based on Akira Kurosawa’s film Rashomon: Different versions of the story are told from the point of view of several protagonists. “As each man gives his testimony to the court, the illustrations portray his version of the story within the story,” he said in an interview.
The Massacre of Don Pedro Villasur features 23 original works from Mark-Jacobs’ graphic novel. He draws on numerous historical accounts of the massacre, but viewers are left to draw their own conclusions about the character of Villasur. In this new narrative, he is alternately considered to be the brave leader of a dangerous mission and an administrator illequipped for a military expedition into hostile territory.
In February, a new gallery at the New Mexico History Museum’s permanent exhibit will be named for and will house the historic Segesser Hide Paintings. The two tanned hides, one depicting an encounter between rival Native tribesmen and the other showing Villasur’s tragic military expedition, were purchased by the Palace of the Governors in 1988 from the descendants of Jesuit priest Philipp von Segesser von Brunegg. The hides date from the early to mid-18th century and are among the earliest known chronicles of Colonial-era life in the United States. With the Palace of the Governors temporarily closed for renovations, this popular attraction was relocated to the history museum. The inauguration of the new Segesser Gallery takes place on Friday, Feb. 1, with the opening of Mark-Jacobs’ exhibit The Massacre of Don Pedro Villasur.
The Massacre of Don Pedro Villasur opens with a 5 p.m. reception hosted by the Women’s Board of the Museum of New Mexico on Feb. 1. The event is free to the public and includes a book signing by the artist. Beginning Saturday, Feb. 2, admission is $12 (discounts available). The show runs through Feb. 1, 2020. The museum is located at 113 Lincoln Ave. Call 505-476-5200 for information. — Michael Abatemarco