Traditions of Santa Fe take over the Plaza
All of Santa Fe’s famous markets are spectacular. That’s true whether they feature folk art from around the world or pieces made by Indigenous artists keeping centuries-old traditions alive. These events are gems of a Santa Fe summer, and this weekend, Traditional Spanish Market and Contemporary Hispanic Market have their turn to shine.
For many city residents, this weekend is special. It belongs to them.
The art of Traditional Spanish Market shapes their heritage — creativity forged on the frontier, the work of people determined to create beauty and demonstrate their faith no matter the obstacles.
No gold or silver? Fine, frontier artists learned to appliqué straw, creating masterpieces from the plainest of materials.
No paints? Early Hispano artists found their colors in nature, using natural pigments to brighten their creations. Tin from cans was reused to make both useful and decorative items; a tin-framed mirror could make even a humble adobe home more welcoming.
Cloth embroidered using the colcha stitch brought additional color, brightening up even the simplest of rooms, whether on a bedspread or tablecloth. Weavers made blankets and rugs, with patterns passed down in families and dyes created from local plants. Village santeros learned to paint or carve to create pieces to grace the altars of local churches. Their devotion and faith brought even the plainest of pieces to life.
Such traditions were passed down in families so the practice of creating devotional art or utilitarian pieces continued long past the frontier days.
Even in the 20th century, when people could buy a plaster of Paris saint at the local store, artists continued to hone their craft. Yet busy with jobs and dealing with the burgeoning modern world, the traditional art forms were dying.
The creation of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society — dedicated to the preservation of Hispano art — helped stem the loss of this heritage. The first Spanish Market took place in 1926, organized by writer Mary Austin and the society. It was dedicated to promoting local Hispanic traditional arts during the Santa Fe Fiesta.
This weekend, the 70th Traditional Spanish Market takes place, with some 200 adult and youth artists presenting their work on the Santa Fe Plaza.
And in each piece, the knowledge of the current artist is informed by the lessons of the past. Noted santero Charlie Carrillo — who displays both at traditional market and in virtual markets via Facebook — is careful to tell the story of each work he completes. He brings the knowledge of an academic to his art — Carrillo has a Ph.D. in anthropology/archaeology from the University of New Mexico. As with so much of the art in the traditional market, faith is at the heart of everything.
The beloved Virgin of Guadalupe is reinterpreted with Tewa pottery designs, the virgin clad in a Pueblo manta and moccasins. Like all artists, Carrillo can make the familiar new.
And that’s the beauty of Traditional Spanish Market. It is both familiar and beloved. Yet within the tradition, artists continue to experiment and push the boundaries.
Weaver Norma Medina was awarded the 2022 Masters Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, honored for continuing a family legacy. Some 67 people in Medina’s family have been weavers, a legacy dating back to the 1600s. Though Medina was a reluctant weaver at first, she turned to it to make money to pay for five kids in college.
Over the years, she grew to love the craft, and at 81 she is continuing the work and teaching her descendants to do the same. She weaves traditional patterns but also loves making pictures with her pieces. Always taking the art form further.
Because of Medina, Carrillo and the dozens of other artists who will be at Traditional Spanish Market this weekend, the crafts created on the frontier remain with us today. Celebrate Traditional Spanish Market and Contemporary Hispanic Market, happening this weekend on and around the Plaza. They are essential to what makes Santa Fe unique, not just this weekend but every day.