Taos adobe artist dies
Renowned for her signature fireplaces, retablos and hornos
Carmen Romero Velarde, a wellknown Taos County artist, died on Friday (Jan. 28). She was 93.
Velarde was considered to be a remarkable adobe artisan of Taos and the world, where she received many awards for her signature fireplaces, retablos and handmade traditional outdoor adobe ovens, called hornos.
Throughout her 50-year career, Velarde traveled to Colorado, California, Washington, D.C. and Texas; as well as Alaska, Hawaii and Japan, among other places, to build her fireplaces and hornos. Here in Taos they can be seen in the The Sagebrush Inn & Convention Center, The Taos Inn, The Quality Inn, Inn on the Rio and many more.
In fact, The Adobe Bar at the Historic Taos Inn is so named because of Carmen Velarde’s adobe work. Then-owner, the late Feenie Lipscomb, said in a 1988 Harwood Museum dedication speech that Velarde’s suggestion to put exposed adobe bricks on the front of the bar inspired its name.
“With the help of her sons Trini and Juan, she put in bancos, nichos and incredible fireplaces throughout the Inn, each one different,” Lipscomb wrote about Carmen Velarde’s work. “Some had wood boxes, some were off the floor if space was tight; some were round; some were squarish, all were beautiful. Some had tiers for pots and santos to stand on, like the one in Doc Martin’s Restaurant.”
One of her fireplaces and one of her traditional New Mexican ovens are on permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
Velarde was named Woman of the Year in 1995 in a proclamation by the Town of Taos. Signed by then-Mayor Fred Peralta, it reads: “A community’s strength lies in its people, and the community of Taos is truly fortunate to have in its midst a person of the caliber of Carmen Velarde.”
In the Smithsonian’s 1992 Festival of American Folklife she was recognized for “exceptional contributions to the increase and diffusion of knowledge about cultures and traditions which enrich our nation and the world.”
She received the Award of Merit in appreciation for her work and the 1989 Governor’s Award for Excellence and Achievement in the Arts. She is also featured in the book “Remarkable Women of Taos,” published in July 2013 by Nighthawk Press.
At the age of 88, Carmen was still participating in the annual enjarre/mudding at San Francisco de Asís Catholic Church in Ranchos de Taos.
“Why should I stop?” she asked former Taos News freelancer, now accomplished novelist Teresa Dovalpage in 2013. “I also train young people who are interested in building fireplaces or remodeling adobe homes. I teach them how to do arched doors the easy way and how to change windows in old adobe houses. They know how to do many of these things, but they want to make sure that they are doing them the right way.”
She gave talks at schools and colleges, from Enos Garcia Elementary School to UNM-Taos.
“I talk not only about my work and my art, but also about deeper issues,” she said in a 2018 interview for Enchanted Homes. “I tell students about the importance of education and of learning more than one trade, so they can always have a job. That’s what my grandparents taught me and it has helped me immensely.”
Velarde was born in 1928 in Ranchos de Taos and raised by her grandparents Trinidad and Julian
Ybarra. Her grandmother was half Mescalero Apache and half Taos Pueblo; her grandfather was of Mexican and European ancestry.
Both her grandparents worked in construction. “They lent everything they did an artistic touch,” Carmen maintained. “They were artists in their own right.”
She described how the Ybarras used adobe, vigas and latillas in their constructions, harvesting the materials and making their own bricks and adobe mix, just as most people did at that time.
“There was no Ace Hardware at the turn of the century,” Velarde told Taos News with a smile. “So they had to go to the forest and cut the trees to build houses or furniture. It was then that I learned how to build fireplaces and ovens because I was always helping my abuelos. Children were expected to help in everyday tasks. Besides, I enjoyed learning new things.”
Later in her life she attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and studied anthropology, photography, bookkeeping and business law. “I have been learning all my life,” she always said.
After she stopped building fireplaces, she continued making santos, retablos, tin artwork and colcha embroidery.
She often brought communion to people who couldn’t make it to church and helped relatives, neighbors or anyone else who needed her.
“My life is full of blessings,” she often said, adding, “I pray a lot.”
Doña Carmen Romero Velarde is preceded in death by her parents, Avenicio and Beatrice Romero, her husband Ernesto Velarde, sons Ernesto Jr., Trinidad and daughterin-law Zandra Velarde; brother Blas Romero; and sisters Ida Romero, Fabiola Duran and Fannie Bustos.
She is survived by her children, Sarah (Orlando), Juan (Nami), Alex, and Michael (Maria); 13 grandchildren, 37 great grandchildren, 5 great-great grandchildren; brothers Julian (Regina) and Alberto Romero; plus many nieces, nephews and other loving relatives.
A special thank you to Holy Cross Hospital and the Taos Living Center was noted in the online obituary “for your kind care you provided to our beloved Carmen.”
Services will be announced and posted at a later date.
For more information, see DeVargas Funeral Home of Taos, devargastaos.com or call 1-866-6574019.