Painted Pueblos of Santa Fe

NEW PAINTINGS SERIES: SANTA FE SCENES-Our recent trip to Santa Fe inspired my new series of paintings. The public is invited to come and see the debut of these vibrant jewels at an open house at Gallery East, Tenth & Lincoln, Loveland, CO, Tuesday-Saturday, gallery hours 11 am-4 pm.

Santa Fe means "Holy Faith" in Spanish. Santa Fe is the oldest state capital city in the U.S. Built in the early days of Spanish colonization, around 1610, San Miguel Mission is considered by many to be the oldest mission in the U.S. It was burned and then rebuilt in 1710. In Spanish Colonial times, this was the church of the working people in the Barrio de Analco. Today this church contains many fine examples of historic Hispanic religious art.

Canyon Road is today the home of dozens of prestigious art galleries, shops and restaurants. This street was once a dirt track used by people to haul firewood on burros to sell in downtown Santa Fe. In the 1920's, artists moved in because rents were the lowest in town. Farolitos (candles in paper bags), little bonfires traditionally called luminarias and thousands of carolers make this a magical place on Christmas Eve. A chile ristra, a string of bright red chiles, is a perfect inexpensive keepsake. They are traditionally hung in kitchens or by a door.

The most familiar of all Native American dwellings are the monumental pueblos of the Southwest, which are believed to have evolved from simple earth lodges. The earthen roofs are supported by massive horizontal timbers placed on top of the thick adobe walls. Because of the difficulty of cutting the roof timbers to precise lengths with stone tools, the ends were normally allowed to project somewhat beyond the wall surface. This is the principal difference between native buildings and related Spanish Colonial buildings built of adobe. Several of the New Mexico pueblos have been continuously occupied since pre-Columbian times and thus have the distinction of being the most authentic surviving Native American dwellings.

Spanish domestic buildings commonly have long, narrow porches (the corridor or portale) that open onto internal courtyards. Porch roofs were supported by hewn logs, usually capped by distinctive carved brackets. Because they faced internal courtyards, traditional porches are seldom evident on the external facades. With the arrival of Anglo influence, however, front-façade porches became fashionable.
Spanish Colonial buildings are unusually durable when executed in stone. In sharp contrast, adobe walls are unusually susceptible to deterioration; if the roofs are not continually repaired, rainwater literally melts them into a formless mass of mud. Regrettably, many of the most authentic examples were abandoned in favor of frame dwellings.

Sources:
A Field Guide to American Houses, by Virginia and Lee McAlester, Alfred A Knopf, Inc., copyright 1997.
The Collectors Guide Santa Fe, Taos, Albuquerque, Vol. 22, No. 2, 2008-2009
Inside Santa Fe, Vol. 9, No. 2, 2008-2009