Native experience
Pueblo Shop and Stroll ‘touches all the senses’ with culture, hospitality
For Monique Fragua, there is no downtime.
And it’s exciting.
Fragua is the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Museum Director, and she and her staff are gearing up for the second annual Pueblo Shop and Stroll on the museum campus.
The event welcomes holiday shoppers to enjoy the campus. There will also be a hot cocoa bar, children’s craft activities, and an array of gifts for sale by Native artists
“The Pueblo Shop and Stroll is a wonderful way to welcome the holidays and a treat for all the senses,” Fragua says. “The decorations are beautiful; the fireside is warm and cozy. I’m looking forward to the sound of artists talking with shoppers about their wares while children make corn husk dolls and paint their own ornaments to keep.”
During the event, the White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers will offer a traditional dance around the courtyard’s bonfire, and Grammy Award–winning flutist Robert Mirabal of Taos Pueblo will perform a concert in the IPCC’s Chaco Ballrooms.
The IPCC will offer a free shuttle to and from Old Town every half-hour throughout the event so guests can also experience the Old Town Holiday Stroll on their night out.
The courtyard will feature a 20-foot Christmas tree cut by Fragua herself from the Jemez Ranger District of Santa Fe National Forest. She and her family also provided the tree for last year’s PuebloShop and Stroll, and are excited to continue the new tradition.
“It’s a funny story,” she says. “Last year, I went out to cut the tree and I was wearing (high) heels. It was snowy and not ideal. This year, I have to get some boots before I go up to cut the tree.”
A bonfire will serve as the centerpiece for the White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers’ Fire Dance during the event.
Meanwhile, visitors will browse handcrafted jewelry, pottery and artwork by a dozen Native artists at booths beneath the courtyard’s spotlight-illuminated Pueblo murals.
“We’ve been taking a different approach in the way we’re hosting guests,” she says. “People don’t want to see our culture from a distance. They want to experience Pueblo hospitality and culture. They want to get a full event that touches all the senses. This event is a great example of getting the community involved.”