Heritage Hotels, in room magazine - Summer/Fall 2019

HERITAGE SUMMER/FALL 2019

HOTELS & RESORTS MAGAZINE

CRUISING SANTA FE IN STYLE

WHAT’S NEW

AT HERITAGE

SUMMER IN TAOS

NEW MEXICO’S

NEXT FLAMENCO STAR

J OU R NEY F R FROM B ECO MING TH E PE R SO N W H O TE LLS OT H ER PEOPLE’ S STO R IES. At Hotel Chaco, you’ll cross paths with the soul of an ancient civilization while unwinding in modern luxury and discover so much more than a mere change of scenery.

A Her itage Hotel s & Res o rts p ro p erty

2 0 0 0 B e l l a m a h Ave N W phone 505 2 4 6 998 9

Alb uque rque WE B hotelc hac o.c o m

NM

Welcome HERITAGE HOTELS & RESORTS MAGAZINE

SUMMER/FALL 2019 Published by Heritage Hotels & Resorts, Inc. 201 Third St. NW, Ste. 1140 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102 Phone: 505-836-6700 contactus@hhandr.com hhandr.com

Publisher/CEO

JIM LONG Heritage Hotels Publication Editor

MOLLY RYCKMAN Heritage Hotels Publication Art Director

SARAH FRIEDLAND

Editorial, Production & Design by: e-squarededit.com Project Editor

EMILY ESTERSON Art Director GLENNA STOCKS Contributing Writers ASHLEY BIGGERS KELLY KOEPKE STEVE LARESE

Dear Guest: As a proud twelfth generation New Mexican and founder of Heritage Hotels & Resorts, Inc., it is my privilege to welcome you to the Land of Enchantment.

A portion of your stay at Heritage Hotels & Resorts supports several important initiatives that preserve New Mexico’s unique culture. This year, we supported Cornerstones, Spanish Colonial Society, New Mexico Artisan Market, National Institute of Flamenco, Santa Fe Opera, Performance Santa Fe, Lensic Theater, and many other cultural endeavors.

Last summer, Heritage Hotels & Resorts helped launch the professional flamenco career of Emi Grimm a.k.a. La Emi (see page 52), through a five-week performance at the Benitez Cabaret located at the Lodge at Santa Fe. Earlier this year, we also were able to send La Emi to Madrid to train with masters of flamenco. La Emi returns this summer to the Benitez Cabaret with a nineweek show that promises to be one of the highlights of the summer season in Santa Fe. Also featured in this issue is the fine craftsmanship and tradition of lowrider culture. We acquired the 1964 Impala (cover photo) from the Martinez family of northern New Mexico. Enjoy your own low ’n slow ride starting at Hotel Chimayó.

On the culinary front, Heritage welcomes exciting chefs this year. Also, we will be launching the Crafted tasting

rooms at Hotel Chaco and Inn and Spa at Loretto. These unique spaces will feature New Mexico wine and spirits.

This year, we are building New Mexico’s first artisanal food hall, Sawmill Market, opening in early 2020. It promises an exciting dining experience.

Our teams are busy creating and supporting many cultural endeavors.

None of this work would be possible without your visit to a Heritage Hotel.

Bienvenidos/Welcome Jim Long Founder/CEO Heritage Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

Graphic Designer BILL ROCHE HHANDR.COM

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52 LA EMI

by April Goltz Meet New Mexico’s next flamenco star.

Features 16

PUEBLO MODERN

by Chris Wilson

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Hotel Chaco reflects the next phase of Southwest architecture.

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TASTES OF THE REAL WEST

BRICK BY BRICK

by Ashley M. Biggers Cornerstones preserves historic buildings.

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HIKE, TREK, FLOAT, FISH

by Christina Olds and Steve Larese Northern New Mexico is an outdoors paradise.

by Kelly Koepke Three Western-raised women are putting their culinary stamps on New Mexico.

Plus, a recipe to make at home.

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by Kelly Koepke A Taos design cooperative traces the history

WITH EVERY SIP, A STORY At Heritage Hotels & Resorts, cocktails evoke the cultures you’re here to enjoy.

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UNRAVELING THE THREADS

SUMMER/FALL 2019

of weaving in New Mexico.

Also in This Issue

1 WELCOME

Owner Jim Long shares Heritage Hotels & Resorts’ guiding principles.

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4 FEATURED ARTIST

Renowned painter Rhett Lynch is just getting started.

6 FEATURED ENTERTAINER

DJ CloudFace spins unique beats

at Hotel Chaco’s LVL 5.

8 HOMEGROWN GRAPES Vivác Wines is going strong after twenty years

of making New Mexico wine.

12 WHAT’S NEW The latest happenings at Heritage Hotels & Resorts around the state.

57 TEQUILA SUNRISE Go behind the scenes of an elegant El Monte Sagrado wedding.

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64 A DINING LEGACY Garduño’s celebrates 50 years.

68 RIDIN’ LOW ’N SLOW Lowrider culture thrives in Santa Fe.

72 CAREFULLY CURATED Selections from Dakkya boutiques

74 A LIFESTYLE TO TAKE HOME Spur Line Supply Co. is bonafide destination shopping.

76 CULTURALLY DISTINCT RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS Plan your next New Mexico trip—explore Heritage restaurants and hotels.

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Painter Rhett Lynch looks back—and forward.

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ROM THE TIME HE SAW A PICASSO SEGMENT ON PBS at five years old, Rhett Lynch knew art was his calling. “I came into the world with a restless imagination,” he says. And he’s spent his lifetime pursuing it over a forty-year career as a professional artist. He’s worked in a variety of mediums, including hand-woven tapestries, monotypes, and even film. The Alameda, New Mexico–based artist is best known for his paintings, which skip between landscapes, iconography, and animals; and approaches, from whimsical to abstract. His work has been exhibited nationally and in Russia, China, and Japan, among other countries.

He credits his mentors, who include internationally known Rio Grande Valley artist Romeo Reyna and painting great RC Gorman, with his longevity. Reyna made him get business cards proclaiming himself a professional artist at age sixteen—and taught him the skills to keep showing up every day to make it so.

In his early career, Lynch’s cosmopolitan travels inspired his works. However, in his thirties, a near death experience inspired a change of heart. He’d been unknowingly poisoning himself in his studio with toxic print-making materials. Unable to work for nearly a year, he began painting again with a newfound desire to address his indigenous culture.

His artist guestroom at Nativo Lodge, for example,

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Above: Rhett Lynch artwork is displayed at Hotel Chaco.

Left: The artist working his mural room at Nativo Lodge.

features a painting of 175 prayer ties over the bed, reflecting his desire to create a prayerful space. “I try to bridge people’s understanding of indigenous spirituality with the hope that they find some sort of healing,” he says. At Hotel Chaco, his relaxation room piece I Am, reflects petroglyphs found at Chaco Canyon—a historically and culturally significant area for the indigenous peoples of the Southwest. In the painting, each hand proclaims, “I was here, I exist.” Lynch consulted on the design of Hotel Chaco and curates the artists featured in Gallery Chaco.

Amid all his success, he’s looking forward to this career season. “I’ve waited my whole life for this part of my career. All of my life has been setting up what I’m going to do now,” he says. Just what he has in store, we’ll have to wait and see.

RYAN GOBUTY

The Best is Yet to Come

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The Mash-Up Artist DJ CloudFace spins unique beats at Hotel Chaco’s LVL 5.

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LOUDFACE IS AN ARTISTIC TRIPLE-THREAT: dancer, visual artist, DJ. Ask him, though, and he’ll say he’s a hip hop artist. Hailing from Gallup, New Mexico, where he grew up amid his Diné (Navajo) and Hopi heritage, Patrick Burnham dubbed himself CloudFace in reference to his constant evolution.

“When you see a face in a cloud, you look back a moment later, and it’s different. It’s constantly shifting and changing,” he says. For him, visual arts and performing arts are a continuum of the same creative thread.

CloudFace DJs at Hotel Chaco’s LVL 5, where his global native vibe enhances the already stunning views. “CloudFace brings one of the most unique sounds on the planet to our hotel. We are thrilled to have his presence and style at Hotel Chaco,” says Liz Robinson, general manager.

Growing up, Burnham marveled at the colorful graffiti on trains that rumble through Gallup. It still influences his paintings, which often feature calligraphy strokes, and he also frequently paints birds, particularly hummingbirds, which are sacred to the

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Diné. This symbol wings its way around the Nativo Lodge guest room he painted.

CloudFace made a name for himself as a visual artist painting in front of live audiences. “I take in the energy of the room. Some people might find it chaotic, but I find it soothing. I focus more when I’m in that environment because all my energy goes into the performance. The music really affects what I paint,” he says.

WHERE TO HEAR As a DJ, he samples music, taking little CLOUDFACE bits from here and there to create one-ofFridays and Saturdays, a-kind tracks. It’s a compilation of hip7–10 p.m., hop beats, Native American flute, global LVL 5, influences, and sometimes percussion he Hotel Chaco plays live. He’s produced one album and has a second in the works. His tracks have been in soundtracks for a VICE documentary and a short film by Native American filmmaker Sterlin Harjo. When DJing at Albuquerque’s Hotel Chaco, he tries to match the music with the mood of that rooftop environment. He says, “I try to make it feel transcendent.”

magic

E X P ERIENC E TH E

LOCALLY LOVED

YEA R-ROUND

Presented by

R A I N B OW RY D E R S .CO M

5 0 5 . 8 2 3 .1 1 1 1

The Official Balloon Ride Operator of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®

Homegrown Grapes Vivác Winery is going strong after twenty years of making New Mexico wine. By Kelly Koepke

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FTER TWENTY YEARS IN ANY BUSINESS, one might expect the owners’ enthusiasm to wane, especially when the work is hard, involves Mother Nature’s fickle whim, and is based in hardscrabble northern New Mexico. And yet the four owners of Vivác Winery, in Dixon, about an hour north of Santa Fe and half an hour from Taos, still have the zest they did two decades ago for making wine.

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“Chris was only twenty-one when he got his winemaking license,” says Michele Padberg, of her brother-in-law and one of Vivác’s owners. Michele is married to Chris’ older brother, Jesse. They all went to high school together in Taos and they share the same deep love of the land.

The three reconnected during their college years. As she says, “their kind of crazy just clicked. Jesse had this idea for a winery, and convinced Chris to help. I loved the idea of winemaking, and kept following

them around to learn more. I read books, then became a sommelier. In fact, all four of us are now certified sommeliers.”

Liliana, Chris’ wife, makes their trio a foursome. Originally from Mexico, Liliana and Chris met while he was on vacation there. The four crowded into the old rambling Padberg family adobe in the Dixon foothills to save money and work on the winery. The brothers now manage the wine production as a team, while the women command the busi-

ness end—marketing, publicity, tasting rooms, and the wine club program.

But it was lean going those formative years, with all of them working other jobs to support the growing operations, even working in rival tasting rooms.

Bottling often happened after work, in the dark.

Owning a small business is fraught with challenges, and the Padbergs have been lucky, Michele acknowledges. “It’s good that we were so young and full of energy.

We didn’t have kids then. But we did have great support from many in the local community, and the state tourism department is fantastic. We also got a lot of mentorship from a few other winemakers.”

Vivác is creating food-friendly and exciting European-style wines that are receiving high marks.

COURTESY NEW MEXICO TOURISM DEPARTMENT

COURTESY VIVÁC WINERY

COURTESY VIVÁC WINERY

Vivác Winery is a family affair— (from left) Michele and Jesse, and Chris and Liliana Padberg— run the business.

The Vivác Winery vineyard is set in scenic Dixon, between Santa Fe and Taos.

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COURTESY VIVÁC WINERY

COURTESY VIVÁC WINERY

Vivác’s Grüner Veltliner and Petit Verdot are two of the winery’s award winners.

Soon to Open Taste Vivác wine at Crafted tasting rooms at Hotel Chaco, in Albuquerque, and the Inn and Spa at Loretto, in Santa Fe. To sip at the source, join a full-day tour with Heritage Inspirations. These outings combine either an art tour and wine, or a stand-up paddle boarding/ kayaking outing with wine tasting.

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The word “vivác” comes from the Spanish for “high-altitude refuge,” which perfectly describes the winery’s 6,000-foot elevation. The picturesque tasting room and patio serves as a hub for seasonal events and live music. Its keeping-it-local philosophy extends to featuring locally produced gourmet foodstuffs, wine-related gifts, and an art gallery. Area artists have also designed some wine labels.

The winery’s promise of organically farmed, 100-percent New Mexico fruit, 100 percent of the time, means that in years when grape production is low, they simply make less. They use French oak barrels, insisting that this top-quality wood imparts signature spices, the hallmark of Vivác’s wines.

Critics and oenophiles have noticed Vivác’s wines. Wine Spectator rates Vivác’s French-style Petit Verdot and fullbodied Syrah with 91 points each and their Dry Riesling with 89 points. High

marks indeed. Wine Enthusiast Magazine even gave Vivác the title of “Highest Rated Red Wine Producer in New Mexico’s History.” The winery has won several awards in regional, national, and international competitions for their Italian-style Sangiovese, light white Grüner Veltliner and the Petit Verdot. In a nod to those who prefer sweeter wines, the brothers have introduced a handful of dessert wines perfect for after dinner sipping.

The quartet’s dedication to elevating the reputation of New Mexico wines, and their growing collection of accolades caught the attention of Heritage Hotels & Resorts, too. Vivác wines are featured in Heritage’s soon-to-open Crafted tasting rooms at Hotel Chaco, and the Inn and Spa at Loretto. Vivác’s Dixon vineyard and tasting room is also a scheduled stop on summer tours from Heritage Inspirations. Santa Fe visitors can sample and purchase Vivác’s wines at their Santa Fe Farmers Market Pavilion tasting room, at other local retailers, or on the winery’s website.

“People are shocked when they taste our wines that they are from New Mexico,” Padberg says. “And after twenty years of living, working, and traveling together, we’re all four of us still absolutely committed and enthusiastic about showcasing what New Mexico fruit can do.”

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What’s New The latest from Heritage Hotels & Resorts CRAFTED-NEW MEXICO’S TASTING ROOMS

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CASA ESPAÑA AND CASA ESENCIA Later this year, Casa España, at Santa Fe’s Eldorado Hotel and Spa, and Casa Esencia, near Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town and Hotel Chaco, will become two of the state’s top hotspots. The nightclubs will be exclusively available to hotel guests and club members. Casa España has a colorful past as an eighteenth-century

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The new tasting rooms at Hotel Chaco and the Inn and Spa at Loretto invite guests to gather around long communal tables, in private booths, or on the patio to taste and learn about New Mexico wine and spirits. The menu features gins, whiskeys, and brandies from Santa Fe Spirits, a local artisanal distiller.

British transplant Colin Keegan founded Santa Fe Spirits distillery to find uses for the apples from his over-productive heirloom orchard in Tesuque, just north of Santa Fe. The former architect turned those apples into brandies and cider, and then added whiskey and gin.

The distillery may be UK-inspired, but it uses New Mexico grown and sourced

ingredients to create a distinctive Southwest flavor. The Atapiño Liqueur, for example, captures the terroir of Santa Fe with Atalaya Mountain-foraged piñon nuts, which are barrel soaked in the distillery’s Silver Coyote single malt whiskey for two months to extract the piñon essence.

EMILY JOANNE

fur trader’s residence and, later, a brothel.

Today, it’s a stunning oasis that seamlessly blends Spanish Colonial antiques with modern finishes. Ornate silver-framed mirrors and old world–style sidebars pair with deep blue couches and steel-andglass tables. Each of the eight rooms has a flare of its own, so guests can select just the right ambiance to sip specialty cocktails created by the house mixologist (see page 30). Guests swap drinks for dance moves at 10:30 p.m., when the club’s house music host dials up the tunes.

Casa Esencia was once the grand Salvador Armjio house, which sheltered the Armijo family for generations and Union soldiers during the Civil War. Amid those historic surrounds, today’s guests will find a contemporary venue known for

its custom artwork, and cozy outdoor courtyards complete with a fire pit and reflecting pool. Conversations flow easily in these cozy nooks thanks to a robust cocktail menu and light bites.

HOTEL CHIMAYÓ LOW RIDER TOURS Lowrider tours cruise low and slow through Santa Fe’s downtown areas in a custom ’64 Chevy Impala lowrider.

Lowriders are an established part of northern New Mexico culture, and are celebrated at Hotel Chimayó’s Low ’n Slow Bar and Lounge. Española-based lowrider artist Jimmy Herrera helps guests take part in the culture with cruises along Canyon Road and through the Santa Fe Plaza in the Impala he

painstakingly restored. Guests may join these tours for a small fee. Tours leave every hour on the hour, from 10 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m. Up to four people may join each tour. Back at the Low ’n Slow Bar and Lounge, guests can sip cocktails named in honor of notable New Mexico lowrider artists and their cars, such as the Chimayó Vigil (a customized Manhattan named for Pete Vigil’s 1931 Ford). Photographs of lowriders from the book “Low ’n Slow: Lowriding in New Mexico” by Carmella Padilla and Juan Estevan Arellano, with photography by Jack Parsons, adorn the walls. As they say in New Mexico, if it doesn’t scrape the pavement it is just another car with rims. (See related story page 68.)

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SOAK IN LUXURY AT ST. FRANCIS HOTEL

NEW POOL AND POOL BAR AT ELDORADO HOTEL

Later this year, five private soaking rooms will be available to guests at Hotel St. Francis. Each room has its own deep tub and fireplace. Water will be drawn for each guest to soak in a candlelit oasis. A relaxation and yoga room provides an additional opportunity for guests to renew their bodies and spirits. Both are nods to the hotel’s design, chosen to create a spiritual, meditative environment and create a sense of calm amid the hubbub of the vibrant city just outside the hotel’s front doors.

Heritage Hotels & Resorts secondstory swimming pool and outdoor bar at Eldorado Hotel will be a new oasis in Santa Fe. The rooftop perch will overlook Palace Avenue, downtown, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The pool’s planned wooden shade structures will blend right in with downtown Santa Fe’s architectural style. The rooftop area will feature private pool guest rooms, two hot tubs, a pool bar for crafted cocktails and light fare, plus outdoor event space.

Immersive Cultural & Active Guided Tours

575.779.5516 | HeritageInspirations.com

By Chris Wilson

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ANTA FE STYLE. New Mexico Mission. Pueblo style. Contemporary Southwest. Pueblo Modern. Or, putting on my academic hat: the Spanish Pueblo Revival. All are names for an ongoing tradition of regional revival architecture that started in New Mexico at the dawn of the twentieth century.

This idiom draws inspiration from Pueblo villages since 700 and Spanish Colonial architecture starting in 1598.

But the very idea of reviving a historic regional vernacular, as well as the style’s underlying design aesthetic, stems from nineteenth century Romanticism, also known as the Arts and Crafts movement.

As it evolved, successive generations reinterpreted the style in response to changing tastes and the rise of Modernism.

Rapp, Rapp and Hendrickson’s 1921 La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, John Gaw Meem’s addition to La Fonda only five years later, and Antoine Predock’s 1969 La Luz townhouse village in Albuquerque typify three phases of the style. The 2017 Hotel Chaco in Albuquerque by Gensler Architects puts forward a strong Hotel Chaco’s entrance sets the stage for a fresh interpretation of Pueblo Modern architecture.

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HERITAGE HOTELS & RESORTS

Hotel Chaco reflects the next phase of Southwest design.

MODERN

PUEBLO

contemporary interpretation of the style, which, given time, may well predominate as the next phase.

Pueblo and Spanish Inspirations Pueblo farming villages along the upper Rio Grande and west into the Four Corners country combined dozens or hundreds of flat-roofed modular rooms into massed community buildings. Two to four stories in height, they turned blank walls against the northwest winter winds, and stepped down to the south and east to face the rising sun. Their roof top terraces served as the primary day time living spaces. The residential rooms wrapped ceremonial dance plazas and their circular religious chambers known as kivas. The Chaco Great Houses, 18

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the largest at over 500 rooms, took formal, south-facing Uand D-shapes.

Each village aligned to the cardinal directions and to four sacred mountains of the containing sacred landscape. The earthen buildings and the sacred mountains each constituted a metaphoric Earth Bowl, made into a spherical whole Above: Hotel Chaco’s lobby by a Sky Basket of stars at features stacked stone, night, and shape shifting Native art and is a kiva-type structure. Right: Santa Fe’s clouds—the very embodFine Arts Museum helped iment of a life force that establish regionally identifiable architechture. translates roughly as waterwind-breath.

PALACE OF THE GOVERNORS PHOTO ARCHIVES

During the rapid industrialization and urbanization of the nineteenth century, designers responded by wrapping institutions, celebrations, and buildings in the mantel of history, which provided reassurances of cultural continuity in unsettling times.

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While Spanish colonists also built flat-roofed adobe buildings oriented to the southeast for passive solar heating, they organized their communities on the scale of the extended-family courtyard house. They introduced both the mission form with large church interiors, and carved wooden detailing concentrated on porches and church interiors. They projected a transplanted Catholicism onto the surrounding landscape when they named their capitol, la Villa de Santa Fe (The City of Holy Faith) and the nearby la Sierra de la Sangre de Cristo (blood of Christ Mountains).

Although large new buildings might be built all at once, architects broke them into smaller components, which they composed picturesquely (that is to say, into balanced asymmetric compositions) to simulate the piecemeal accretion of pre-industrial buildings.

They further grounded their buildings in the region with local natural materials, and by porches and windows that framed stunning landscape views—a new secular, aesthetic relationship to the landscape. In contrast to the increasing standardization of the industrial world, this Romantic aesthetic reveled in variety of all kinds, in composition, materials, details, and furnishings.

Romantic Conceptions

Spanish Pueblo Revival I

A primary response to the rapid industrialization and urbanization of the nineteenth century was to wrap institutions, celebrations, and buildings in the mantel of history, which provided reassurances of cultural continuity in unsettling times, casting Washington D.C. in the classicism of imperial Rome, for instance.

The Romantic/Art and Crafts movement, which would have the greatest impact in New Mexico, drew inspiration from pre-industrial, hand-crafted building traditions, which were often used to create regional identities in an increasingly homogenized world.

Starting about 1905, The Santa Fe Railway, University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, and city of Santa Fe took the lead in developing an architectural style appropriate to the American Southwest—a style that might attract tourists while also representing the U.S. Territory and, by 1912, the newly recognized State of New Mexico. Based on a shared regional vocabulary of modular flat-roofed adobe rooms, the new style drew elements equally from pueblo and Spanish Colonial buildings. Multi-story terraced forms come from the pueblos.

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Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem argued that the contemporary spirit could be expressed by what he called the fundamental form of the time, a mixture of time-tested forms fused with contemporary conditions and aesthetics.

MARY BRINDLEY FERGUSON PICTORIAL COLLECTION, #2014-002-0009, CSWR, UNML; BELOW: JONATHAN ABDALLA

Carved wooden details, porches, and church interiors from the Spanish. Rapp, Rapp and Hendrickson, for instance, picturesquely composed terraced pueblo forms with a Spanish portal and an entrance based on the façade of Laguna mission church. This first phase of the style (popular 1905 to 1940) joyfully multiplied wooden details over taught, stage-set facades—underlying modern brick construction often revealed by the thinness of stepping buttresses. Heavy oak Mission furniture inspired by the Art and Crafts movement, and the muted earth tone pallette of the Navajo blankets fostered by the Santa Fe Railway’s Fred Harvey Company completed the Romantic, pre-industrial aesthetic.

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Spanish Pueblo Revival II But by the mid-1920s, a Modernist approach calling for the direct expression of the zeitgeist of industry and urbanization began to challenge Romanticism. Zealous Modernists banished ornamental details in favor of the forthright expression of steel, glass, and concrete. But Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem argued that the contemporary spirit could be expressed by what he called the fundamental form of the time, a mixture of time-tested forms fused with contemporary conditions and aesthetics.

By the mid-1930s, Meem had begun to orient his houses to the southeast for solar gain, reviving pueblo and Spanish vernacular wisdom. Meem conceived the entry sequences into his houses as experiential pathways, much like the hide-and-reveal paths of English Romantic period gardens.

Along these paths he arranged a rich collection of what he, his clients, and the architectural journal of the day described as “features”: a flight of flagstone steps, an antique door, a long porch with reused carved Spanish corbels, a log viga ceiling within, Navajo rugs, pueblo pottery in wall niches, landscape painting from the art colony, a sculptural fireplace, and framed view out to the landscape.

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Spanish Pueblo Revival III After the Second World War, the Modernist prohibition of revival styles and historic details, and their call for the honest use of modern materials dominated the architecture profession. To distance himself from direct historical evocation in his 1969 La Luz, Antoine Predock argued that any similarity to pueblo or Spanish buildings resulted from responding to similar conditions of desert sunlight and surrounding mesa landforms, not from quoting historic forms or details. In place of historic wood details, Predock could justify Top left: UNM’s Zimmerman Library reflects John Gaw a few functional, cast conMeem’s design hallmarks. crete details: lintel beams Bottom left: Antoine Predock’s over windows and angular La Luz development typified the Modernism prevailing unroof drains. The curving til 2000. Above: The pueblo patio walls evoke the earlier great houses of Chaco Canyon inspired Hotel Chaco. rounded forms of the style, while crisp edges and re-

peated forms embrace a contemporary aesthetic. Glass curtain walls, held back in shadowy recesses, capture commanding views to the east of the Rio Grande and beyond to the Sandia Mountains, while also serving as solar green houses.

If regional architects favored Meem’s interpretation of the idiom from 1930 to 1960, the more through-going modernism typified by La Luz predominated from 1960 to 2000. Since then, some, especially in Santa Fe and on the University of New Mexico campus, have drifted back to Meem’s sculptural, historicist interpretation of the style, while others have continued with Predock’s Modern Regional approach, typified by his own 2007 design for the UNM School of Architecture.

Modern Pueblo: Hotel Chaco Heritage Hotels & Resorts has achieved notable successes over the last two decades reconceiving existing hotels by grounding them in the history and cultures of the Southwest. With the opportunity to develop a hotel from scratch, Heritage CEO HHANDR.COM

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Jim Long sought a fuller realization of their vision by setting a fresh direction for this regional tradition. The resulting Hotel Chaco, designed by Gensler Architects (Adam Gumowski, lead architect), reinvigorates the regional idiom with an experiential aesthetic, while drawing inspiration from the Great Houses of eleventh century Chaco Canyon.

braces meeting room doors, lobby tables, and a bar top of rich-grained reclaimed wood. A back bar illuminated by light shining through thin-cut agate; a lobby floor of brown tinted concrete, ground and polished to reveal pebble aggregate; ood grained wall coverings; inventive, striated stuccowork; cortin steel left to weather in the elements, the water streaks developing over the years like those down the sides of Chaco Canyon walls.

Experiential Design

HERITAGE HOTELS & RESORTS

These experiential aspects of the hotel design parallel Meem’s staging of a series of distinctive features along the entry paths into his houses. Approaching Hotel Chaco, you glimpse a wall of sandstone blocks, off-set to enhance the play of sunlight. The rusted corten steel panels of the porte cochere are similarly off-set for variety. Stepping out of the car, the burbling sound of water draws your attention to a fountain of five megalithic stones set in a vignette desert garden. Stepping through the heavy double doors, stacked sandstone lines the contained passageway, with again the sound The south-facing U-shaped massing of the of burbling water and now humidity Hotel Chaco’s U-shaped hotel, with a courtyard protected by a curving from a cascading wall fountain. Then the enclosed courtyard and wall, and its alignment to the cardinal directions space opens suddenly up and out to a alignment to the cardinal owe a particular debt to these Great Houses. As round two-story volume. Here, some of directions reflect the design of Chaco Canyon great houses. in the pueblos, the roof terraces connect visitors the best pieces commissioned from conto an experience of sun and wind and of the extemporary Native American artists sugpansive Southwest landscape. While the terraces face south gests a connection with circular kivas. and east as in the pueblos, the focus on the picturesque view In the elevator ride up to your room, the end-grain wood to Sandia mountains reflects Euro-American Romantic aes- blocks lining its sides echo the earlier off-set motif of the thetic inclinations more strongly than pragmatic passive solar sandstone facade and rusted steel. The textured fabrics of orientation. As in the designs of Meem and Predock, views the distinctive easy chairs in your room, like the couches come first, with passive solar design where possible. and cushions in the public spaces, embrace an ivory, buff, Brought to the sidewalk’s edge on the north and east, the black, brown, and gray Navajo blanket pallette—their abhotel begins to form an urban street wall for a projected dis- stract geometric patterns resembling the playful primitivism trict of three- and four-story mixed-use buildings. (Architect of some mid-century modern graphic design. After freshenStefanos Polyzoides first suggested the Chacoan massing and ing up, a ride up to the rooftop bar and restaurant brings you orientation for the hotel while developing a master plan with to a sublime view over the city to the mountains, a view of Long covering the surrounding urban district.) the changing clouds that turn brown and golden at sunset, In lieu of the carved wooden details of the early Spanish which completes your carefully choreographed entry into the Pueblo Revival, or the Modernist rationalization of these into spirit of the hotel. A leading pleasure of staying here is the functional cast concrete, Hotel Chaco deploys a picturesque chance to explore the variety of materials, details, and art variety of design and details, of natural materials, textures, that constitute this fresh Pueblo Modern interpretation of a and colors. This updated Romantic aesthetic of variety em- revered regional tradition.

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e c n e i r e o e p s x u E El M

A Center of Hispanic Culture and Learning

21 YEARS IN THE RAILYARD 555 Camino de la Familia, Santa Fe | 505.992.0591 | elmuseocultural.org

UPCOMING EVENTS SUMMER ART EVENTS & EXPOSITIONS:

• Currents New Media Festival – June 7-23 • The– Handmade Photograph – June/July Every weekend October 1, 2016 to May 28, 2017; Saturday 8-3PM; Sunday 9-4PM; • Photo Art, Antiques, Jewelry,Historica Books, Textiles, Sale – July Furniture – More than 50 vendors • Spanish Market Pre-Market Awards – July 26 THEATER & COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES • Objects of Art Santa Fe – August 9-12 THEATER & COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES • The Tempest – Upstart Crows of Santa Fe • Antique January 20-22, 27-29 American Indian Arts – August 14-16 EL MUSEO’S WINTER MARKET

• Almost Maine – Red Thread Santa Fe February 10-12, 17-19, 24-26

THIS FALL - Community, Culture & History:

ARTS EVENTS & EXPOSITIONS

• Pecos, NM – Music & Memory – Sept/Oct • NM Railroads History - Sept • Currents 2017 – June 9 – - 25 • Embrujó Religion, Superstition, Cultural Identity - Theater • Miranda & Lois Viscoli, Cuban • Vivos Entre loscollection Muertos – Day of the Dead exhibit – July/August • Pandemonium Youth dance & theater classes • Objects of Art/Antique American – Indian Art – Expositions – August 10-13, 15-18 ARTS EVENTS & EXPOSITIONS • And More ….

• Anri Tsutsumi, Wasabi Salsa Rhapsody art installation – June 2 – July 30

CELEBRATING CULTURE

EL MERCADO - Arts & Culture Market

• Santa Fe Fiber Crawl – Fiber arts festival May 12-14

• Santa Fe’s premier market! - Opening September 21

las cruces

El Museo produces/hosts exhibits, activities, and events that celebrate • Sat. 8am-3pm; Sun. 9am-4pm and promote local culture and • Every weekend through May 2020 traditions.

We are creating a library, present Spanish language learning, and host community events, such as building Zozobra, & youth classes with Pandemonium Productions.

year-round!

CELEBRATING CULTURE

Gateway Partner with the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area 555 Camino de la Familia, Santa Fe

505.992.0591

elmuseocultural.org

OCT. 11-13 Weekly Events RioGrandeTheatre.com

Vineyards & Wine Tastings

Plaza Events

DowntownLC.com

VisitLasCruces.com/Events

Las Cruces Country Music Festival

TASTES OF THE REAL WEST Three Western-raised women put their culinary stamps on New Mexico.

By Kelly Koepke Photos by Doug Merriam

C

hef Kathleen Crook knows beef.

The daughter of ranchers from the southeastern New Mexico town of Artesia, her father’s livestock brand is embedded in the Market Steer Steakhouse logo, and she’s a champion rodeo breakaway roper.

El Monte Sagrado’s Cristina Martinez grew up in Albuquerque picking and eating fruit from her grandparents’ South Valley orchard.

The two, along with Crook’s partner Kristina Goode, are a new generation of women chefs who bring passion for comforting, authentic, and fun food to Taos and Santa Fe’s dining scenes. El Monte Sagrado Executive Chef Cristina Martinez, Market Steer Steakhouse’s Executive Chef Kathleen Crook, and General Manager Kristina Goode are showing northern New Mexico diners true tastes of the West.

REFINED MEETS FUN Above: Executive Chef Cristina Martinez creates dishes both visitors and locals love at El Monte Sagrado in Taos. Right: Executive Chef Kathleen Crook (right) and General Manager Kristina Goode oversee Santa Fe’s Market Steer Steakhouse.

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Goode and Crook, after a culinary journey that included restaurant gigs in Aspen, Dallas, and Artesia, New Mexico, chose Santa Fe for their own restaurant—it was just the right size town, with a vibrant restaurant scene. At Market Steer Steakhouse in the historic Hotel St. Francis, Crook is

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the executive chef and Goode directs the At Market Steer Steakhouse, Chef Crook front of the house in a partnership that serves standout steaks and dishes that reflect her and Goode’s backgrounds—like the goes beyond the business. The married Tex-Mex mussels (left), which are steamed in couple met while working at a restaurant shiner bock with roasted green chile. in Dallas—Goode working as a waitress and Crook as a sous chef. Their journey together continued to Aspen, where they opened Steakhouse 316. They ultimately landed in the City Different, as Santa Fe is sometimes called, and with a steakhouse—at the very heart of Crook’s culinary heritage.

Market Steer’s location, one block from Santa Fe’s bustling plaza, attracted the pair because of its floor-to-ceiling windows, rustic dining room, and picturesque patio with fountain. Often, hotel restaurants are tucked away; Market Steer instead commands a highly visible corner of downtown, allowing diners to see and be seen. And Market Steer offers a down-to-earth setting where the food, wine, and service are the attractions. The couple’s mantra is “where refined dining meets fun dining.”

“My philosophy is to buy quality ingredients and don’t get fussy with them,” says Chef Crook. “My background is more rustic French style where the food should speak for itself.” And it does. The simple presentation and minimal extra seasoning beyond the food itself allow the flavors to shine. Her knowledge of beef shines through: she insists on only prime-graded cuts, sourced from Meyer Company Ranch, in Montana, or 44 Farms in Cameron, Texas.

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“Prime beef just tastes better,” she adds. “Only two to three percent of beef is graded prime, and that’s why we fought so hard for it. I’m working a month ahead with each ranch to ensure I have enough for the restaurant.” The strategy seems to be a success. In one sixty-day period this past winter, the restaurant served 1,100 pounds of prime beef, much of which aged for weeks to enhance its natural tenderness and flavor before being served.

Crook’s menu also includes appetizers like steak tartar with cured egg yolk, roasted bone marrow with tomato bacon bourbon jam, and Octostada—roasted octopus on a crispy corn tortilla with black bean puree and pico de gallo. The menu features a blackened cauliflower steak, scallops, pan roasted sea bass cassoulet, and red chile-rubbed lamb loin.

Since opening in fall 2018, Chef Crook found local purveyors of the finest greens and other ingredients, too. Her discerning eye is focused on creating special offerings where everything has been grown in the region.

And what’s a prime steakhouse without primo vino? The wine list at Market Steer features more than a hundred bottles of all varietals, leaning heavily on meat-friendly cabernets. A newly curated selection of New Mexico (and other) wines and spirits by the glass or bottle means tasting a few is possible and probable.

When Market Steer opened last year, it also revamped the neighboring Secreto Lounge’s food menu, bringing on a crowd-pleasing green chile cheeseburger, a kickin’ chicken sandwich, and a sampler of spreads and dips for sharing.

Naturally, you can enjoy a steak sandwich and traditional plate of steak frites, too. Any and all bar menu items are designed to complement Secreto’s exceptional cocktails, beer, and wine. (See related story, page 30.)

While Crook manages the kitchen and drives the menu, Goode sets the tone in the intimate dining room. Her more than twenty years of restaurant experience put her in every position from waiting tables to general management; she knows exactly the atmosphere she wants to convey.

“The service experience and guest interaction should be fun,” Goode says. “We listen and go beyond what people want, and we do that with our great staff, too. We let them be themselves— one server is funny, another is more formal, and other more casual. We want them to have fun working here because the guests can really feel that. Keeping a positive work environment is key.”

Even with Taos’s short growing season, Chef Cristina Martinez emphasizes local ingredients at De La Tierra Restaurant.

COMFORT FOOD IN TAOS Cristina Martinez, a native New Mexican, opened her own catering company at eighteen years old and honed her skills at Le Cordon Bleu in California, where she graduated with honors. She worked her way up in the fine-dining kitchens of New Mexico. By 2016, she’d won awards and embraced the culinary HHANDR.COM

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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes Makes 10 good size pancakes INGREDIENTS 2 cups flour 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cups whole milk 1 cup full fat ricotta 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons lemon zest METHOD In a large bowl add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; whisk well. In a separate bowl add eggs and beat. To the eggs, add the milk, ricotta, and vanilla. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry. Do not overmix.

Add the lemon juice and zest.

Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto a pre-heated griddle. Cook about 3 minutes on first side, flip, and cook until golden brown.

Serve with maple syrup, whipped cream, and sour blackberry compote.

Sour Blackberry Compote INGREDIENTS 4 cups fresh or frozen blackberries 4 cups sugar 1/4 cup white vinegar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Pinch of salt METHOD Combine all ingredients in a pot and cook on medium heat until thick and syrupy with blackberries still intact.

Cool slightly before serving and thin with water if needed.

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traditions of her home state before taking on the challenge of leading the kitchen at El Monte Sagrado.

The move to Taos, however, first required an eight-hour audition with legendary Southwest Chef Mark Miller of Coyote Café fame, and a consultant to Heritage Hotels & Resorts. “I was extremely nervous!” she says. “We talked a lot about his food, his techniques, and he taught me quite a bit. I’ve had his Indian Market cookbook for years. My mind was pretty blown.”

Her vision for De La Tierra Restaurant, Anaconda Bar, the spa, and room service menus at El Monte Sagrado has changed quite a bit since she started, she says. But what hasn’t changed is her commitment to challenging herself and her staff to create dishes that both guests and locals love. De La Tierra, El Monte’s fine-dining restaurant, highlights comfort cuisine worthy of a vacation splurge, with a New Mexico flair, of course: braised local bison short ribs over polenta and butternut squash; a cowboy ribeye; herb crusted rack of lamb with wild mushroom risotto; and an innovative duck breast noodle hot pot in a spicy broth. Summer visitors will also experience dishes made with vegetables grown on-site.

“I’ve grown to love Taos, the way that it is private, quiet, and very seasonal,” she says, pointing to the way the town swells in the summer with tourists, and moves to the mountains in winter. “It’s very much a vacation town with a unique culture.”

The addition of Sunday brunch, however, has drawn locals to De La Tierra and afforded Martinez the chance to add some non-traditional dishes to the menu such as bananas Foster French toast and lemon ricotta pancakes (see recipe). But even old standbys like eggs Benedict get a fun twist with the addition of avocado and lobster.

Staying seasonal is also important to Martinez and her staff. She and her team work with local farmers to load plates with regional greens, vegetables, and fruits, as well as fruits and vegetables grown right in the hotel’s garden.

“It’s cool to see my awesome crew that wants to be creative and show passion.

I challenge them almost every day to come up with new ideas—especially desserts, which is the hardest thing in any restaurant. They’ve also elevated our baking by doing it all in house, from scratch. When you’re as isolated as Taos is, and with our short growing season, we’re trying to be as sustainable as possible and use what we can find here. So I’ve had them doing fermenting and pickling a lot. We’ve come up with a really awesome kimchi! That’s challenging for the crew and educates them, and keeps everyone’s curiosity fresh. Plus the guests love it.”

Martinez plans to start monthly, themed cooking classes in the banquet kitchen designed to introduce basic skills and culminate with participants devouring their creations. For now, try her brunch favorite lemon ricotta pancakes with sour blackberry compote.

Located in Eldorado Hotel & Spa | 309 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe | 505.988.4455 | EldoradoHotel.com

Located at Inn and Spa at Loretto | 211 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe | 505.988.5531 | HotelLoretto.com

With Every Sip, a Story History is on the menu at Heritage lounges, where signature cocktails evoke the cultures you’re here to enjoy.

SUN DAGGER LVL 5 at Hotel Chaco, Albuquerque INGREDIENTS 1 ounce El Tesoro Reposado Tequila (in place of our barrel-select version) 1 ounce Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon Whiskey (in place of our barrel-select version) 1/2 ounce agave nectar 1 fresh-squeezed lime Red chile powder Salt METHOD Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass with a salt/red chile rim and finish with an orange twist.

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F HERITAGE HOTELS & RESORTS

ROM ROAD TRIPS TO sacred sites, New Mexico brims with adventure, and not just when the sun shines. Once the day is done, try unwinding with a signature cocktail—and turn the night into an adventure all its own.

You’ll find signature cocktails at every one of Heritage Hotels & Resorts’ lounges and clubs. Each tells a part of New Mexico’s story, honoring the civilizations that shaped us: Chaco and its ancient mysteries, Native American societies, explorers from Spain.

“We draw on our roots, blending a bit of history into every drink,” says Patrick Hendricks, cocktail curator for Hotel Albuquerque.

Made with hand-picked spirits from the finest distilleries, signature drinks celebrate the foods and flavors of our ancestors.

If you’ve never had chile, piñon, or cacao (remnants of which were found at Chaco Canyon) in your drink before, you’re in for a treat.

“We follow the ‘garden to glass’ philosophy, sourcing ingredients as locally as possible,” says Hendricks. “Some of our hotels also create their own bitters, tonics, syrups, and shrubs onsite.”

ABOVE: Guests enjoy the evening at Casa España in Santa Fe. BOTTOM: The Smoking Nun is a guest favorite at the Inn & Spa at Loretto in Santa Fe

Hotel Chaco in Albuquerque even grows its own veggies, herbs, and spices in a pretty garden right on the premises.

This hotel is where you’ll find the Sun Dagger signature cocktail. It’s served at LVL 5, a rooftop restaurant and lounge with stunning views of Albuquerque and the Sandias. Between the Sun Dagger’s flavors and the panorama, you’ll want to take your time sipping and savoring this drink.

Hotel Chaco pays tribute to the mysteries of Chaco Canyon and its inhabitants, the Anasazi. These ancient puebloans invented HHANDR.COM

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LATIN MANHATTAN Casa España at Eldorado Hotel & Spa, Santa Fe INGREDIENTS 2 ounces Bulleit Rye Whiskey ½ ounce Carpano Antica ½ ounce Torres Orange Liqueur

“We follow the ‘garden to glass’ philosophy, sourcing ingredients as locally as possible,” says Hendricks.

3 dashes Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters 1 Luxardo maraschino cherry METHOD Combine liquid ingredients and bitters in mixing glass with ice and stir until ice cold.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a Luxardo maraschino cherry and an orange twist.

CHAMPAGNE SHRUB Anaconda Bar at El Monte Sagrado, Taos INGREDIENTS 1½ ounces basil-infused vodka 1 ounce shrub mix (see recipe below) 1 strawberry, de-stemmed and hulled 3 fresh basil leaves Splash of soda water METHOD Muddle basil and strawberries in a pint glass.

Top glass with ice and add the vodka and shrub mix. Shake in the pint glass, then strain over a rocks glass with fresh ice. Top the cocktail with a splash of soda water and garnish by placing a circular strawberry slice on the rim.

SHRUB MIX: INGREDIENTS 1/2 pound strawberries, de-stemmed and hulled 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup champagne vinegar METHOD Dice strawberries and toss with sugar until well coated. Let mixture macerate for a minimum of 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Strain through cheesecloth so that no strawberries remain in mixture. Add champagne vinegar and mix until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Yield: shrub mix for 12-15 drinks

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a way to mark the solstice using spiral petroglyphs and daggers of sunlight. The Sun Dagger drink toasts their ingenuity.

It starts with whiskey and tequila from two top craft distilleries, Knob Creek and El Tesoro. Both single-barrel spirits are part of the Heritage Select collection, hand-chosen

by Heritage beverage experts for exclusive use.

Lemon, lime, and agave syrup give the Dagger its trademark tartness and sparkle. To these there is an added touch of fire, rimming the glass with a mix of local chile and pepper.

Finish it all off with a sun dagger garnish, a nod to the feat of a bygone era. Que delicioso.

A short stroll from Hotel Chaco, you’ll find another signature drink at QBar, the lounge inside Hotel Albuquerque. Ask to try the Old Town Old Fashioned, a locally themed take on the popular original.

Knob Creek Barrel Select Rye gives this drink its moxie. Mixologists pair it with home-grown ingredients—local honey and roasted pecans, aged together in charred oak barrels. These local staples really pull their weight, giving the drink its unforgettable flavor.

In Santa Fe, you can keep the adventure going with a Latin Manhattan—a spirit-forward spin on the stylish classic takes inspiration from the flavors of Spain. It’s at Casa España, the exclusive nightclub at Eldorado Hotel & Spa. The Latin Manhattan begins with Bulleit Rye Whiskey, an award winner whose “spice” is the backbone of this cocktail.

Next comes a splash of Carpano Antica vermouth, whose complex herbal and vanilla notes nicely balance the Bulleit.

Torres Orange Liqueur, a Spanish classic, gives the drink its citrusy notes. And Aztec chocolate bitters cap it all off, amping up the finish with their lush cocoa tones. Que sabroso.

For the rest of your nights in Santa Fe, try the signature drinks at other local lounges. Secreto at Hotel St. Francis, the Living Room at Loretto, and the Low ’n Slow at Hotel Chimayo de Santa Fe have treats of their own to share.

At Secreto Lounge, give the Smoked Sage Margarita a try.

In demand for a decade, this is the drink that put Secreto on the map as one of Santa Fe’s first craft bars. It is mad with local sage whenever it’s in season. And by the way, it’s a featured

HERITAGE HOTELS & RESORTS

drink on the Santa Fe Margarita Trail.

If you’re feeling playful, head to the Living Room at Loretto and order The Smoking Nun. Named after the hotel’s resident ghost, Sister George, who was fond of cigars, this cocktail is lightly smoked, it starts with a stylish mix of rye whiskey, brandy, and Grand Marnier. A dash of Lagavulin scotch and kirsch-muddled orange give this one a gorgeous finish.

For a taste of northern New Mexico, try a cocktail that honors the village for which it’s named. The Chimayoso Margarita, another stop on the Margarita Trail, is at the Low ’n Slow Lowrider Bar inside Hotel Chimayó. It’s made with apricot liqueur, a nod to the area’s apricot harvests, plus a rim’s worth of Chimayó red chile. The garnish is a candied orange peel whose woven strands hint at Chimayó’s rich weaving tradition.

The Low ’n Slow honors northern New Mexico’s colorful car culture. Lowriding—cruising close to the pavement in artfully modified cars—is a favorite area pastime. It’s also the inspiration for the Low ’n Slow’s cool decor of pin-tuck upholstered seats, hubcaps, chain-link steering wheels, and more.

If your travels take you farther north to Taos, head for the Anaconda Bar inside El Monte Sagrado and prepare to be dazzled. The star ingredients in the Champagne Shrub— vodka, basil, strawberries, and a touch of champagne vinegar— deliver a divine blend of tart and sweet. You’ll want to order this

Relax at Agave Restaurant and Lounge at Eldorado Hotel & Spa. BOTTOM: The Smoked Sage Margarita is a musthave at Secreto Lounge in Hotel St. Francis, Santa Fe.

bright, refreshing cocktail each day of your stay.

Down south at Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces, you’ll find Azul Ultra Lounge and its award-winning cocktail, the Gran Patrón Champion. This eye-popping drink starts with ultra-smooth Gran Patrón Platinum tequila. Jalapeño, grapefruit and pineapple notes are added for a muy refreshing flavor you’ll want to tell your friends about back home.

You’re in the Land of Enchantment now, so try a signature cocktail. With a story in every glass, it’ll be a night to remember.

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BRICK by BRICK Cornerstones preserves historic buildings— and New Mexican culture

S

By Ashley M. Biggers Photos by Barb Odell

anta Fe’s San Miguel Chapel is believed to be the oldest continuously used church in the United States. Built shortly after the Spanish founding of Santa Fe in 1610, the church served the community of El Barrio de Analco. Although it was partially destroyed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt and was rebuilt in the same location by 1712, archeological studies found remnants of Native American structures and architectural elements from the first church still standing. The wide adobe buttresses and bell tower stood the test of time, presiding over baptisms, weddings, and funerals for generations. Yet, San Miguel Mission was crumbling.

In 2010, Cornerstones Community Partnerships began restoring the oldest church. Along with numerous partners, the organization removed the exterior cement plaster and repaired the adobe A volunteer packs a mud-and-straw mixture walls. Over several suminto adobe brick forms. mers, volunteers came together to coat the outside with three to six layers of mud plaster—just as community members had done for generations before them. Nearly a decade later, the plaster finish is still standing strong.

Cornerstones, along with partners and volunteers, completed a multi-year restoration of San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe. The preservation effort included repairing the walls, coating the surface with three to six layers of mud plaster, and restoring the bell tower.

CORNERSTONES ORIGINS Founded in 1986, Cornerstones originally operated under the umbrella of the New Mexico Community Foundation as an entity to oversee the historic preservation of the state’s mission churches. It incorporated as its own non-profit in 1994 with a similar mission: “to preserve the architectural heritage and cultural traditions of New Mexico and the greater Southwest, using a hands-on approach to teach and reinforce these methods.” The organization has provided assistance on more than 380 architectural treasures and historic sites, from the San Miguel Chapel to the Picuris Pueblo church to public buildings on Chimayó’s historic Plaza de Cerro.

Cornerstones can go through thousands of handmade adobe bricks on a single project.

Cornerstones works only on publicly owned or publicly used buildings because it has found communitydriven projects to be the most successful. Director Jake Barrow, who joined Cornerstones in 2009 after a thirty-year historic preservation career with the National Park Service, says historic preservation efforts often call upon outside groups or consultants. “They come in and do something beautiful, but the community hasn’t bought into it. So it can falter and not be fully embraced,” he says.

The group advises and teaches, rather than completing the project on its own. Occasionally, it hires out specific tasks, like roofing, to specialty companies. Barrow says, “We’re not HHANDR.COM

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contractors but when it involves community, training, and volunteerism, we’re there.” Cornerstones places a great emphasis on hands-on teaching of traditional skills during its projects—and in particular adobe brickmaking, a dying craft and culture in New Mexico.

contracting through the seasons. When finished with mud plaster, the coating follows suit. Putting concrete plaster over adobe is like putting a straight jacket on it. In some historic buildings, when owners remove the coating, they find piles of dust instead of bricks. The walls must be rebuilt from scratch.

MUD AND STRAW

RINGING THE BELL

For many of Cornerstones’ projects, restoration begins with brick making. They can burn through hundreds of bricks on a single project, and since the bricks take thirty days to cure, they need to have stacks at the ready. The bricks begin as a straw-filled mud that’s mushed into a wooden mold and left to bake in the sun.

Historically, every spring neighbors would gather to build bricks together. If they made bricks in May, by late summer, they’d be ready for the next step: repairing walls and building new rooms for expanding families.

They shared in the work Adobe mud plaster is sturdy; however, it of re-mudding each must be maintained. Historic structures can easily fall into disrepair. other’s homes. Barrow says, “That tradition has largely fallen by the wayside. We wanted to revive the tradition because it’s important to the heritage of New Mexico.” Each May in Santa Fe, Cornerstones invites the public to join them to learn to make bricks. The events not only help Cornerstones assemble materials; it also keeps the cultural tradition alive.

Bricks are essential to Cornerstones’ efforts. Many of the adobe buildings they encounter are literally melting away.

When done properly and maintained, mud plaster is quite sturdy. However, in cases of abandoned buildings or those without stewards knowledgeable about the process, the exterior can erode. Even small cracks can let in wind and rain, which literally washes away the adobe bricks. Barrow says replacing adobe bricks with the same material ensures structural continuity for the historic buildings.

Over time, mud plastering was seen as laborious to maintain.

It went out of vogue and ushered in a period of concrete plasters, like stucco, which now coat many adobe buildings across New Mexico. Unfortunately, that can cause more problems than it fixes. Adobe bricks breathe, expanding and

Heritage Hotels & Resorts guests joined the brickmakers at work at San Miguel Chapel during the initial push to restore the church’s main sections. That effort was completed in 2012.

The hotel group came on as a financial sponsor as well, as efforts in ensuing years moved on to a 2013 effort to stabilize the sacristy and gift shop. In 2014, using Heritage Hotels & Resorts' funds, Cornerstones oversaw the restoration and stabilization of the chapel’s bell tower. The bell hadn’t rung since 1872. In October 2014, it rang for the first time in 140 years.

Although Heritage guests had initially joined the brick-making efforts at San Miguel, for the past couple of years, their bricks have gone to another effort to keep northern New Mexico history alive.

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HOW TO PARTICIPATE Cornerstones invites the public to join in adobe brickmaking on Saturdays in May. Visit cstones.org for details on times and locations.

Adobe bricks must cure in the sun for thirty days before being used.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS Each time a guest elects to stay at a Heritage Hotel, a portion of revenue from every room night is utilized to support various cultural endeavors.

Thus, organizations such as Cornerstones receive financial support for their cultural preservation efforts.

Volunteers coat an horno (traditional oven) in adobe plaster, carrying on the traditional practice.

FROM OLDEST CHURCH TO OLDEST PLAZA One of Cornerstones’ newest endeavors involves an off-thebeaten path area of the village of Chimayó. Spanish Colonial settlers constructed Plaza de Cerro during a period when area tribes frequently raided settlers’ homes. The compound includes four family houses around a central plaza. The enclave has only two entrances/exits. They’re so narrow that only a single person leading a horse is able to pass through, and they can be easily blocked in the event of an attack. “We believe it to be the only remaining totally enclosed defensive plaza in New Mexico,” Barrow says. “It has tremendous importance.”

Although the Chimayó area was thinly populated in the 1680s, the first mention of the plaza wasn’t recorded until 1785.

In 1878, there were forty-four people recorded as living in the plaza—eight Trujillos, seven Ortegas, and five Martinezes.

By the 1930s the plaza declined as older residents died and others left their homes to take jobs in cities. The plaza is now essentially abandoned. Its historic importance landed it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

The Chimayó Cultural Preservation Association, another Heritage Hotels & Resorts beneficiary, acquired one of the buildings set around the plaza, Casita Martina. The association has plans to use the casita for interpretive purposes, but a year ago it was far from that. The cement coating disguised

adobe damage within, and the rear wall was in active collapse.

The roof was deteriorating. The canales were gone, so there was nothing to channel water from the roof; instead, it was pouring into the walls.

In the summer of 2017, with funding from Heritage Hotels & Resorts and a handful of other organizations and donors, restoration work began. Since then, the community has stabilized the walls, repaired the canales and roof, and restored the windows and doors. Barrow says the work is ninety percent complete. All that remains is completing the earthen floor.

In future years, Barrow hopes to repair another building on the plaza—this one with less than fifty percent standing. “We hope we can come back and make another great achievement at Plaza del Cerro,” he says.

Cornerstones’ perspective on historic preservation has an eye to the future, Barrow says. “Rather than thinking about a building here and a building there, what’s at risk in New Mexico is the bigger picture of our cultural landscape. For those of us who live in or love New Mexico, there’s a fragile cultural landscape out there that’s challenged,” he says. Saving it means focusing on preserving culture as much as architecture and ensuring projects are sustainable. Barrow says Cornerstones is increasingly exploring solar as a way to keep historic buildings, particularly in rural communities, open to the community.

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HIKE, TREK, FLOAT, FISH Northern New Mexico is an outdoors paradise.

By Cristina Olds

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ummer and fall in Taos offer a wonderful variety of outdoor activities. Taos Ski Valley is New Mexico’s premier mountain venue for skiing in winter. In summer, it offers mountain biking, hiking, and chairlift rides. A 1.9-mile hike from the Bavarian Lodge at the ski area winds through pine forests to Williams Lake at the foot of Wheeler Peak, the highest point in New Mexico at 13,161 feet. The surrounding peaks—Kachina, Simpson, Old Mike, and Wheeler—form a glacial cirque (bowl) where snow remains late into the spring.

For some contrasting terrain, the Rio Grande Gorge West Rim Trail is fairly flat and boasts views of the deeply carved river’s path.

The llamas do the heavy lifting for guests on a Wild Earth Llama Adventures (llamaadventures.com), offering day hikes with gourmet lunches along the Gorge in spring and fall and multiday, fully supported treks in the wilderness around Taos.

“People immediately fall in love with the llamas with their sweet, gentle nature, and curious, amusing personalities,” says Stuart Wilde, director and head wilderness guide with Wild Earth Llama Adventures. “Taos has an incredible diversity of pristine wilderness environments to explore, from the

ALAMY.COM

Taos is a recreation hotspot. Summer brings nationally renowned rafting, from mild to wild.

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ALAMY; BELOW: AMANDA POWELL

800-foot deep Rio Grande Gorge, to the alpine splendor and snowcapped peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. We lead our llama trekking adventures to seldom-visited, off-the-beaten-path destinations for a true wilderness experience.”

Another great way to drink in the spectacular Taos environs is from the seat of a bicycle. A multi-day Backroads bike tour (backroads.com/trips/BNMI/newmexico-taos-santa-fe-biking-tour) circles the Taos Ski Valley. Cyclists also enjoy pedaling the Enchanted Circle, a scenic route through Taos, Angel Fire, and Red River. The Enchanted Circle Century Bike Tour is a popular 100-mile race held in September, which can just as easily be enjoyed from inside a vehicle any time of year.

As the snow melts high in the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountains, the rivers swell to provide plentiful rafting and stand-up paddle boarding with amazing views.

From serene float trips with pueblo guides to white-knuckle wild rides down the infamous “Rio Grande box,” Los Rios River Runners (losriosriverrunners.com) hosts a range of trips.

“Taos is wild and untouched country,” says Angelisa Murray, whose Heritage Inspirations tours craft a variety of outdoor and cultural experiences for its guests including fly-fishing outings. “You can stand-up paddle board on the Río Grande 40

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Taos’ terrain, from the mountains to the mesas, provides mountain biking and hiking routes.

and then go skiing or hiking in some of the most beautiful landscape in the nation. It’s not crowded or overdeveloped, and people here respect the land and its cultures.”

Murray says Heritage Inspirations is a one-stop point of contact for guests who want to experience Taos’ vast public lands and understand its rich cultures, such as that of Taos Pueblo. It partners with renowned Taos guide Van Beacham of Solitary Anglers to take guests to water on both public and private land

AMANDA POWELL; BELOW: ALAMY

Heritage Inspirations outfits glamping adventures beneath the stars.

BELOW: Fly fishing is a year-round draw in Taos.

where the trout are all but guaranteed to be biting.

She’s also designed several tours for guests of all interests, abilities, and time constraints. The Half-Day Active Tour has participants departing from El Monte Sagrado Resort at 9 a.m. for a two-and-a-half-mile hike in the Río Grande Del Norte

National Monument north of Taos with its sweeping views of the Red River and Río Grande confluence.

That’s followed by a walk across the Taos Gorge Bridge —that spans some dizzying 600 feet above the Río Grande—before returning to the resort at 1 p.m. The full-day Taos Backcountry Hiking Adventure offers several hikes within the Río Grande Del Norte National Monument, including the option to take on the strenuous Big Arsenic trail that descends 800 feet in 1.2 miles to a natural spring and breathtaking views. The Taos Kayak/SUP & Hiking Adventure + Wine Tasting Tour is an epic day of kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding on the Río Grande followed by a 2.5-mile hike. It’s all capped off by a stop at a local winery to enjoy some of New Mexico’s best vintages (New Mexico is the first wine-producing region in what is now the United States). Want to experience Taos’ star-filled nights? The 2-Night Taos Glamping Adventure combines hiking with yoga, cleansing sage ceremonies, stand-up paddle boarding, gourmet farmto-table meals, and luxurious canvas-tent accommodations on dates that coincide with new moons for optimal stargazing and meteor showers.

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CASTING FOR ADVENTURE IN TAOS

By Steve Larese

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rom the soaring, snow-capped Sangre de Cristo mountains to the 800-foot basalt chasm of the Río Grande Gorge, Taos’ beautiful topography beckons outdoor adventurers. Fly fishing is one of Taos’ biggest summer draws and is rewarding for both beginners and avid anglers. Streams born of mountain snowmelt and natural springs cascade through the mountains as they find their way to the Río Grande. You’ll mostly see brookies, Río Grande cutthroats, and brown and rainbow trout in the sixto twelve-inch range, though some anglers specialize in coaxing ferocious northern pike to take their streamers in the Río Grande.

Heritage Hotels & Resorts' guests can also enjoy discounted rates on guided fly-fishing trips with the Taos Fly Shop.

“If you’re visiting Taos and don’t get outside you’re not fully experiencing Taos,” says Emily Roley, a guide with Taos Fly Shop.

“There’s so much to do here and the outdoors are such a part of Taos and the people who live here.” Roley grew up in Tennessee fishing streams in the Appalachian Mountains before traveling around the country and discovering Taos in 2014.

“We still enjoy the benefit of anonymity in the fly-fishing world, which is great,” she says. “The fishing is excellent and it receives far less pressure than other well-known area destinations. You can still find solitude on our water. You’ll go out for a day and very often be the only people out there, and the fishing is just excellent.”

Roley touts the diversity of water in Taos that includes tailwater (waters downstream from bridges), canyon rivers that require hiking, high-alpine meadow streams and lakes. “It’s pretty special to have this diversity of water in one region,” she says. “Because of all the different types of water and our four-season climate you can fish year-round here. There’s always someplace nearby that’s fishing well. You just have to know where to go.”

Most Taos-area fishing waters are on public land and require a New Mexico state fishing license. Always make sure to take water and food for the day, sun protection, and let someone know where you’re going and when you plan on returning, whether you choose to go it alone or set out with a guide. For local favorites, drop into Solitary Angler or the Taos Fly Shop and have a guide take you to their favorite secret Taos fishing spot.

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You can still “find solitude on our water. You’ll go out for a day and very often be the only people out there, and the fishing is just excellent.

”

WHERE TO STAY IN TAOS Palacio de Marquesa 405 Cordoba Rd. Taos (575) 758-4777; MarquesaTaos.com Palacio de Marquesa’s rooms draw inspiration from women who made their marks on Taos.

Their work is reflected in the furnishings, colors, and artwork that make each room unique. In addition to Georgia O’Keeffe, Mabel Dodge Luhan, Agnes Martin, and Millicent Rogers, rooms are devoted to painter Dorothy Brett, fashionista Martha Reed, and printmaker Alice Geneva (Gene) Kloss. Interior designer Adriana Long designed the stylist boutique hotel.

El Monte Sagrado 317 Kit Carson Rd. Taos (575) 758-3502; ElMonteSagrado.com The premier luxury resort in Taos, El Monte Sagrado is known for its serene ambiance. The hotel features globally inspired guest rooms; the award-winning Living Spa, which offers an expansive menu of healing treatments from around the world; De la Tierra restaurant, Anaconda Bar, and indoor and outdoor event and meeting space.

LEFT: Taos boasts diverse waters, from canyon rivers to high-alpine streams.

ABOVE: Palacio de Marquesa ALAMY

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317 Kit Carson Rd., Taos | 575.758.3502 | ElMonteSagrado.com

UNRAVELING THE THREADS A Taos design cooperative traces weaving through the eras.

By Kelly Koepke

Chris Ferguson teaches customers about historic patterns, dyes, and techniques at Tres Estrellas.

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CHRIS FERGUSON

hristopher Ferguson dispels a mis- the men wove) were becoming masters of turning cotton into conception about textiles. The gregarious intricately woven blankets and shawls. They eventually traded co-proprietor of the Tres Estrellas gallery their wares with their Navajo neighbors to the north, who in in Taos clarifies that we are not looking turn adapted Zuni techniques to their own uses. Interestingly, at rugs. Rugs cover the floor. Rugs keep it was Navajo women who took up the art of weaving, rather your feet off the winter-cold ground. Rugs than the men. In both cases, weaving was a central activity of are meant to be walked on. These are definitely not rugs on dis- daily life, and a source of both ceremonial outfits and goods play here. Many are considered works of art—for the weavers’ for trade. technical prowess they display and their obvious artistic merit.

A stunning blanket made by a Puebloan Zuni weaver is on In history, blankets had utilitarian purposes. They wrapped display at Tres Estrellas. The design cooperative brings together around horseback riders protecting them from the wind, sun, nineteenth century and earlier items representing material and cold. They kept one warm when walking to and from culture, such as jewelry, photographs, furniture, and weavings. the river or well, Ferguson’s partner, Carla or inside unheated Bogdanoff expands on adobe homes. They the cooperative’s mission also served another with a deeper underpurpose: They disstanding of textile arts, played, as fashion part of why they actually did then and does weave in the gallery today, the wearer’s using a treadle loom. wealth, status, and “Here is someplace ego. people can see what The story of the process was,” says woven textiles in Bogdanoff. “We can educate New Mexico twines the public in a way that a threads spun by museum doesn’t have the the native peoples resources to.” and settlers of the The Zuni blanket is Southwest. In the square and creamy white time before Europebordered by red and dark ans arrived in North bands. It would drape America, indigenous nicely over a small, modWeavers in the American Southwest adopted and adapted the Spanish-Mexican societies used plant ern woman’s shoulders, textile traditions exemplified in this sarape. and animal fibers (injust as it was woven to cluding human hair) cover a maiden’s arms in to create clothing, bags, and straps. They finger wove these the mid-nineteenth century. It’s not ancient, and to modern fibers together, eventually learning sophisticated techniques eyes it seems plain, even unremarkable, until you understand on looms—the backstrap loom, which would attach to a wall its heritage. and produce narrow woven strips, and the vertical loom. The “This is handspun twilled cotton,” explains Ferguson. “The vertical loom could be anchored to a ceiling beam and secured red color comes from cochineal, a vegetal dye. Everyone wanted to the floor to create wider fabrics. red because it was the hardest thing to get. This red is actually raveled bayeta—English wool flannel. The Zuni would get HISTORY IN ACTION wool baize [course woolen] fabric in bolts of trade cloth, pick As early as 425 BC, the Hohokam in Arizona were raising cotton it apart to the individual threads, then respin them. The end and trading it widely. By 700 AD, the Ancestral Puebloan bands are dark indigo in an intricate pattern, which is also a people (sometimes called Anasazi by archaeologists) were vegetal dye. The small format is typical, too.” growing cotton in New Mexico. By the thirteenth century, The Zuni and Navajo were among the Southwest’s most Zuni men (at the time, women spun and dyed the cotton and accomplished weavers. However, they didn’t weave larger am-

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Carla Bogdanoff weaves on a treadle loom in the gallery.

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CHRIS FERGUSON

Visitors can spot Navajo late-classic-style blankets upon entering Tres Estrellas (foreground) and many other styles in the rug room.

bitious items, limited as they were by the size and rigidity of their vertical looms. With vertical looms, weaving is accomplished by separating the warp (vertical) threads, inserting a shuttle with yarn wrapped around it across the space between the warp, and then using a beater to push the threads together.

Then the warps are re-parted to form another clear space and the shuttle thrown again.

TRADE AND INNOVATION

DOUG MERRIAM

The Spanish thread intertwined with the puebloan and Navajo.

In 1598, Juan de Oñate arrived in the area from Mexico with his entourage—settlers, soldiers, and missionaries—and their animals. Specifically, they brought the Iberian Churra sheep with their sturdy coats and colors that ranged from white to beige, and brown to dark black.

These animals adapted well to the Southwest, evolving into what we now call Navajo Churro sheep. Their long, coarse outer coat covers a shorter, softer inner wool that required little water to clean. The fleece spun easily and took natural dyes well, giving blankets woven from it a soft finish and shiny luster.

The Spanish colonists also brought the horizontal European

treadle, or floor loom. This type of loom allowed for longer warps and wider fabrics. It also made weaving faster, as its mechanical nature sped up the process of separating the warps and beating the threads together. In the mid-1600s, a Spanish textile workshop in Santa Fe was using both Spanish and Navajo labor to produce woven goods for export to Mexico City using handspun wool yarns. In turn, TRES ESTRELLAS Mexican textiles were Christopher Ferguson returning to the area (575) 770-7287 chris@tresestrellasdesign.com with their own distinct 208-A Ranchitos Road colors, patterns, and Taos, New Mexico 87571 designs.

The Saltillo serapes on display at Tres Estrellas, as these particular blankets are called, exemplify Spanish-Mexican textile traditions. Serrated, concentric diamonds and chained hourglass motifs typify Mexican designs that have been adopted and adapted in the American Southwest, too, says Ferguson. The wealthy Mexicans for whom these blankets were woven were landowners and patrons of their haciendas. Their expectations for finely HHANDR.COM

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executed blankets were met by the weavers who lived, ate, and worked on the rancheros for years to create each one.

These textiles were folded and stored in chests when not worn as ponchos. Reds, yellows, and other bright colors touted the wearer’s wealth, and such blankets were far easier to transport than horses or guns.

There are only minor differences between the blanket hanging on the gallery wall and one Ferguson calls “export quality” and originally headed to Spain for sale. On closer examination, however, it is apparent the export quality serape’s design is a little bigger, the weave a little coarser, the colors a little less vibrant. Today, either of these amazing blankets would be proudly displayed as works of art. Perish the thought of walking on them, or allowing the cat to shed on them if used as a bedcovering.

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CHRIS FERGUSON

As the modern world encroached upon weaving traditions, people didn’t need blankets anymore, says Ferguson. “They weren’t walking or riding horses anymore. They were riding in buses or cars or trains. People wanted to embrace the modern world. They weren’t interested in the romantic past or traditional crafts. The dominant culture brought wondrous things from the East that soon displaced the old.”

The Spanish Colonial Arts Society, with its museum in Santa Fe, formed in 1926 to promote weaving (among other heritage Hispanic art forms) and reinvigorated the craft by developing a market for this distinctive tradition. Today, the artisans in and around the small northern New Mexico village of Chimayó carry on the styles and techniques of their ancestors.

In recent decades, Southwestern and New Mexico textiles have been elevated to the THE 1800S status of high art, while In due course, Saltillo blankets providing a source of income also made their way to the Rio for native weavers in isolated The “Vallero Star” style of Rio Grande blanket, ca.

Grande Valley of New Mexico. communities and non-native 1890, typifies the period’s Hispanic weaving.

Ferguson points out that until artists in northern New Mexico’s 1848 and the Treaty of Guadasmall mountain villages. In lupe Hidalgo, New Mexico was Mexico. He makes little dis- those communities, the historic traditions of weaving never tinction between the two when talking about trade, weaving really disappeared. Instead, they were passed from father to traditions, or influences—the areas were and are still culturally son, mother to daughter. joined. Weavers in this area began to adapt designs, motifs, and Numerous galleries, such as Tres Estrellas, now carry historic colors to local tastes, techniques, and materials. The central and contemporary weavings produced by talented artists diamond on a complex field, chained hourglasses, and distinct whose fiber heritage goes back generations. The Española borders would become hallmarks of what is now called the Valley Fiber Arts Center also teaches weaving, hand spinning, Rio Grande Blanket. Rio Grande weavings are mentioned as natural dyeing, and other textile arts to eager audiences, and distinct styles in correspondence and published books as early provides community for those interested in preserving the old at the mid-1800s. ways. And no visit to a museum displaying art of the SouthAs more European traders and settlers found their way to west is complete without a section on the fiber arts. the Southwest during the mid- to late-1800s, they brought According to Hopi oral tradition, Spider Woman taught with them commercially produced yarns and chemical dyes. the people how to weave cotton. This spiritual creative power Navajo and pueblo blankets and other textiles soon began to uncovers a pattern that already exists, drawn out by the weaver. use these materials, too. Local merchants started encouraging The textile traditions of the Southwest and New Mexico local weavers in northern New Mexico to continue with their endure today, uncovering a pattern of historic foundations ancestral craft, selling their products to tourists in Santa Fe. tempered by contemporary elements.

A GALLERY OF FINE HANDWOVENS & WEARABLE ART

“The owner is a warm gracious lady who offers excellent service in her lovely store filled with unique and beautiful clothing. I highly recommend Artemisia Artwear!” — Linda O. ««« »»» 117 Bent Street, Taos, NM 87571 • One block north of Taos Plaza on historic Bent Street

575-737-9800 • www.artemisiataos.com

EXPERIENCE THE ARTS, CULTURE, AND HISTORY OF NEW MEXICO on the New Mexico PBS Arts & Culture Channel N ow av ai l ab l e o n t he Heritage Hotels & Resorts T V C hannel

The Springtime Rainbow, 1923 - Jozef Bakos Courtesy the NM Museum of Art

Refer to your hotel channel guide for the channel number.

Visit nmpbs.org/heritage for more information on NMPBS arts and culture programs.

LA EMI New Mexico’s next Flamenco Star

By April Goltz

Dancer La Emi grew up watching New Mexico’s top flamenco performers—now she’s one of them.

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”MY DREAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO DO WHAT I LOVED WITH THE PEOPLE I LOVE, IN THE PLACE WHERE I’M FROM AND THAT’S WHAT’S HAPPENING.”

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EMILY JOANNE

lifetime devoted to the art of flamenco and aesthetic values. And in keeping with the art form’s tradiis bearing fruit for Santa Fe, New Mexico tion in New Mexico, Spain, and beyond, La Emi’s relationship –based dancer La Emi. A prominent per- to flamenco is born from and reinforced by family, community, former, teacher, and organizer in the city’s and landscape. flamenco scene, the twenty-eight-year-old Even on the global scale, flamenco is a small, tightly knit New Mexico native is experiencing one of life’s full circles, world, and it is important to acknowledge upon whose shoulders as she prepares for a summer residency on the same stage one stands. La Emi comes out of a complex historical tangle of where she witnessed her first flamenco show as a child. La regional and global flamenco figures that, when unraveled, casts Emi recalls her formative impressions of local flamenco icon her personal and professional trajectory as something akin to fate.

Maria Benitez and company, performing at the Benitez Cabaret at the Lodge in Santa Fe in the mid-1990s. The intense sights and sounds of flamenco consumed La Emi, and she was enrolled in Maria Benitez Institute for Spanish Arts by age four. Her father managed ticketing at the Lodge for Benitez’ shows throughout La Emi’s early childhood, and at ten, she performed there with the Institute’s youth company, Flamenco’s Next Generation. This year, she is mounting her own show on stage at the Lodge, in collaboration with the National Institute of Flamenco.

La Emi has dedicated herself to an art form whose aesthetic, sound, and sensibility La Emi learned flamenco in New Mexico and Spain, where the dramatic art was born. have found resonance and expression in New Mexico since at least the early 1940s. Originating in Gitano Among the earliest flamenco artists in Santa Fe was a dancer (Spanish Gypsy) communities in Andalucía, flamenco in its named Vicente Romero, born in 1939. As a teenager, Romero recognized form emerged at the end of the nineteenth century. was inspired by the film Sombrero featuring Italian-born, Most American audiences first saw it from touring compa- American flamenco dancer Jose Greco. Greco had gotten his nies of Carmen Amaya and Pilar Lopez, aided by Hollywood’s start dancing with Pilar Lopez in the 1940s before forming his exotification of early global flamenco stars in the post-WWII own company. Vicente Romero toured with Greco for several American imagination. In central and northern New Mexico, years before returning to Santa Fe in the 1960s, where he was the seeds of flamenco germinated in receptive soil, ultimately part of a burgeoning scene that included La Emi’s future first producing a vibrant, thriving, home-grown flamenco culture. teacher, Maria Benitez.

Like many of her colleagues, mentors, and predecessors, La By the 1990s, Jose Greco’s son, Jose Greco II, had taken up Emi feels that flamenco expresses something intrinsic to New the mantle, and was touring internationally with his own comMexican identity: “Flamenco is an expression of the people, pany. Vicente Griego, New Mexico’s critically acclaimed cantaor for the people. In our culture in northern New Mexico, we can (flamenco singer) and La Emi’s longtime mentor and collaborator, tell our story through this art form.” was just beginning his study of flamenco cante while stage Flamenco’s strong local presence highlights a profound kinship managing for Greco II. Griego had grown up near La Emi’s family, between Chicano and Gitano, Hispano and Spanish cultural and became her godfather when she was a baby. Twenty years

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EMILY JOANNE

for her, and she overflows with gratitude for her community that has provided vital support in manifesting it. In 2014, she launched her own dance company, EmiArteFlamenco, and in 2017 she founded both EmiArteFlamenco Academy, a school for students of all ages, and Flamenco Youth de Santa Fe, a children’s company that performs for communities all around New Mexico.

La Emi glows when she speaks about her work with children. Giving back to the community is at the root of her life’s work, and her connection to home.

Last year, under a grant provided by the New Mexico Multi-Cultural Foundation, La Emi spent two months in Madrid, Spain, working with the masters of flamenco dance to perfect her skills.

La Emi’s summer show at the Benitez Cabaret La Emi will perform with critically acclaimed is meaningful beyond her own circular journey. cantaor, Vicente Griego.

She will be collaborating with the National Institute of Flamenco, another New Mexican later, when La Emi was ready for an extended period of study in flamenco entity whose roots span at least four generations, Spain, Griego sent her to Jose Greco’s daughter, the celebrated beginning with Clarita Garcia de Aranda, a flamenco dancer dancer Carmela Greco. Carmela took La Emi on as her student, active in Albuquerque from the 1930s to the ’60s. Her acting as her maestra ever since. On her relationship with Carmela, daughter Eva Encinias and grandchildren Marisol and Joaquín La Emi is reverent: “Carmela is amazing … She has taken me Encinias founded the Institute in 1987 and have since developed in, and not only is she teaching me about the dance, but she’s flamenco education and performance in Albuquerque to teaching me about my camino in life … She has such a big global acclaim. heart, and with every single student and audience member, she Alongside La Emi and fourth generation dancers Nevarez and gives everything she has. I aspire to follow in that way.”

José Encinias, this summer at Benitez Cabaret features the globLa Emi is thrilled and awed at what she sees as a divine plan ally acclaimed cantaor Manuel Tañe from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, and guest appearances by Vicente Griego and guitarist Kambiz Pakan. The Encinias brothers have performed weekly PERFORMANCE DATES at the Tablao Flamenco at Hotel Albuquerque for the last several years. Tañe has performed at the most prestigious SANTA FE: LAS CRUCES: flamenco festivals in the world.

The Benitez Cabaret, Hotel Encanto By collaborating with the National Institute of Flamenco The Lodge at Santa Fe November 8, 9, 15, 16 and acclaimed guest artists from around the world, La Emi is July 3–September 1 (Wednesday–Sunday weekly) TAOS: doing essential work bridging flamenco families, communities, El Monte Sagrado September 25–October 13 and histories while creating space in which new relationships (Wednesday–Sunday weekly) November 22, 23, 29, 30 and ideas can grow. Don’t miss the next generation of flamenco December 26–December 31 stars in New Mexico as they perform at the legendary Benitez (every day) Cabaret and around New Mexico.

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A nEW experience FEATURING new mexico’s premier wines and spirits

VISIT Hotel Chaco and

Inn and Spa At Loretto

Full details @ Hotelchaco.com and hotelloretto.com

Tony Gambino Photography

Weddings by Heritage Hotels & Resorts

Emily Joanne Wedding Films & Photography

Blue Rose Photography

Shutter Freek Photography

TAOS El Monte Sagrado Living Resort & Spa, Palacio de Marquesa SANTA FE Eldorado Hotel & Spa, Inn and Spa at Loretto ALBUQUERQUE Hotel Chaco, Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town LAS CRUCES Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces HHandR.com/Weddings

TEQUILA SUNRISE Adobe-inspired buildings, vibrant colors, and two people madly in love—the inspiration for this look came from the location!

El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa is full of so much culture and beauty it’s hard not to be inspired for your special day. Drawing from the layered colors in a tequila sunrise cocktail, this look embodies the natural beauty of Taos and the iconic El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa! Provided by Rocky Mountain Bride Magazine Photos by Emily Joanne

THE BESPOKE BRIDE What makes a bride beautiful and radiant on her wedding day is the love she has for her partner. Stay true to your style and let your love shine through!

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CIRCLE OF LOVE Forgo your traditional aisle and have a circle labyrinth ceremony! With lush willows and waterfalls, the Sacred Circle at El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa is the ideal place to create your circle. Guests will feel more connected to the words exchanged and it will give you and your beau an even more meaningful “I Do.�

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QUIET MOMENTS While guests are mingling and enjoying cocktail hour, take a couple of moments together and take in how special this day is. Your wedding day is unlike any other event in your life. slow it down And remember all the little things.

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BEAUTY C JOHNSON MAKEUP | CJOHNSONMAKEUP.COM BRIDE & BRIDESMAID DRESS BHLDN | BHLDN.COM BRIDE’S VEIL EMMA AND GRACE BRIDAL STUDIO | EMMAANDGRACEBRIDAL.COM CALLIGRAPHY SILVER SWIRL STUDIOS | SILVERSWIRLSTUDIOS.COM DESIGN & PLANNING ALENA SWANSON LLC | ALENASWANSON.COM FAVORS WANDERER BOUTIQUE | WANDERERTAOS.COM FLORAL RENEGADE FLORAL | RENEGADEFLORAL.COM JEWELRY TAOS MOUNTAIN GALLERY | FB: TAOS MOUNTAIN GALLERY AND GIFT SHOP LINENS & RENTALS CLASSIC PARTY RENTALS | CLASSICPARTYRENTALS.COM MENSWEAR MACY’S | MACYS.COM MODELS MICHAEL,MARIELA, LOGAN AND LAUREN PAPER LETTERPRESS MADE | LETTERPRESSMADE.COM PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY EMILY JOANNE WEDDING FILMS & PHOTOGRAPHY | EMILYJOANNE.COM VENUE EL MONTE SAGRADO LIVING RESORT AND SPA–A HERITAGE RESORTS & HOTELS PROPERTY | ELMONTESAGRADO.COM HHANDR.COM

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A Dining Legacy Garduño’s marks 50 years—and a new era.

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INING AT A GARDUÑO’S RESTAURANT feels like a fiesta. With Spanish missionstyle architecture and colorful décor, a mariachi band strolling from table to table, and Mexican and New Mexican favorites on the menu, it’s a culinary adventure. After five decades, Garduño’s continues to please palates and tempt new generations of diners.

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Albuquerquean Dave Garduño started what became a restaurant empire in 1969 with Taco Flats, but renamed it Garduño’s in 1981. Many locals have fond memories dining in what became a fleet of six restaurants around town, celebrating birthdays over plates of enchiladas smothered in green chile.

That was certainly the case for Tug Herig, president of Southwest Brands.

By Ashley M. Biggers

“Personally, it was very much instilled in our family’s history. … Garduño’s was part of our legacy of being New Mexican.” Herig, along with business partners, organized the Southwest Brands investment group to purchase Garduño’s restaurants in 2011 when the company fell into bankruptcy.

“Garduno’s still had a loyal customer base. They were coming back because

Traditional and modern Mexican are on the menu.

Opposite: The fiesta spills onto the patio at Hotel Albuquerque.

ALL PHOTOS HERITAGE HOTELS & RESORTS

they loved the essence of the restaurant and the memories of growing up there. … We wanted to extend that into the future,” Herig says.

Hoping to make the restaurant better than ever, the new owners dusted off recipe books and recovered the original,

made-from-scratch dishes. They also consulted employees for recipes that weren’t written down. One prep cook, for example, had worked the line for twenty years and had memorized the recipes.

Today, the menu sizzles with Mexican and New Mexican classic dish-

es, such as burritos stuffed with carne adovada (pork braised in red chile for hours until it’s fork tender and infused with the earthy, piquant flavor). Some dishes are as colorful as the surroundings, like enchiladas de colores, which features blue and yellow corn tortillas; HHANDR.COM

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Garduño’s in Hotel Albuquerque.

DINE HERE GARDUÑO’S LOCATIONS At Hotel Albuquerque 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, (505) 843-6300 10031 Coors Blvd. NW (at Cottonwood Mall), in Albuquerque, and guacamole prepared tableside with fresh avocados, peppers, onions, limes, and tomatoes.

The reinvigorated Garduño’s has three locations now. Heritage Hotels & Resorts operates a Garduño’s within Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town, in Albuquerque. Two freestanding original restaurants are close to the city’s two largest shopping centers: Cottonwood Mall on the Westside, and Winrock Mall in the Northeast Heights.

In 2018, Garduño’s launched a sister restaurant: Cantina Nueva. “We wanted to expand Garduño’s but modernize it,” Herig says. Cantina Nueva has a bis66

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tro-style ambiance with a menu as hip as its surroundings. The classic Garduño’s dishes have a home there, like tacos al pastor (with marinated pork, pineapple, and cilantro sauce). The restaurant also serves modern versions of tacos, such as the crave-worthy chipotle-honey-glazed pork belly and an apple slaw, and the vegetarian-friendly tempura avocado with chipotle aioli and chimichurri sauce. Herig says, “We wanted to touch on the flavors that would attract a new generation.” That’s the kind of thinking that promises to continue the Garduño’s legacy for another 50 years.

(505) 890-7000 2100 Louisiana Blvd. NE (at Winrock Mall), in Albuquerque, (505) 880-0055 Cantina Nueva 5935 Wyoming Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, (505) 508-4671

Discover

Tom Palmore, Survivor, 1995, oil on canvas, Museum purchase, 1993 General Obligation Bonds, 1995.30.1

Art and History.

Jewelry to sculpture.

Folk art to fine craft.

Paintings, prints, and photography.

Experience the unique juncture of cultures on exhibit at Albuquerque Museum.

PAUL PLETKA

Featuring our Summer 2019 exhibition

Exhibition brings together paintings that meld Indigenous peoples, Catholic rituals, and the lifeways of Spanish colonists.

A Past Rediscovered:

© Paul Pletka

Converging Faiths in the New World Open through October 20, 2019

Highlights from the Palace of the Governors

TRADITIONAL SPANISH MARKET July 27–28, 2019 Santa Fe Plaza Presenting Sponsor Anthony D. Trujillo, Holmans USA

Unknown Artist, Group of Five Men from Santa Fe Fire Department, 1861-1880, ambrotype, New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors

Albuquerque Museum 2000 Mountain Road NW Albuquerque, NM 87104 Located in the heart of Old Town 505-243-7255 • cabq.gov/museum

Art. History. People.

spanishcolonial.org 505-992-2226

San Gabriel, painted bulto by Rhonda Crespin.

Photograph by Blair Clark.

750 Camino Lejo | Santa Fe, New Mexico Open daily 10 – 5 | 505.982.2226 | spanishcolonial.org

Hotel guests can cruise in Jimmy Herrera’s restored ’64 Chevy Impala.

Ridin’ Low ’n Slow Lowrider culture thrives in Santa Fe.

I

N ’70S AND ’80S northern New Mexico, lowriders were the height of cool. Lowriders are still cool today, and now they’re an established part of northern New Mexico culture. Low ’n Slow Bar and Lounge at Hotel Chimayó in Santa Fe celebrates this, and now thanks to lowrider artist Jimmy Herrera, of Española, guests can cruise Santa Fe like it’s back in the day in a silver ’64 Impala lowrider that Herrera has restored. “I started working on it about five years ago,” says Herrera, who began building lowriders in middle school. “My wife, Kimberly, bought it for me for Christmas with loose change that she saved up in big water bottles.”

Herrera tore the ’64 Impala apart, cleaning and rebuilding it from scratch part by part. The back rides low on wire rims, and the sleek silver-gray paint job highlights its chrome detailing.

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By Steve Larese

“We didn’t go with a crazy paint job or anything, no loud colors or pinstriping,” says his wife, Kimberly.

“It’s just clean and classy, that’s always been his style.”

In the years following World War II, America’s youth saw cars as a way to express themselves.

Mexican-American kids in California, who were establishing their identities in post-war American culture, lowered suspensions, added artwork and chrome, and incorporated hydraulics to give a new look to vehicles they’d inherited from grandparents or saved from salvage yards. This trend traveled to New Mexico, especially to Española and Chimayó, where rediscovered wrecks found in fields and garages were given a new lease on life by talented mechanics and artists. Lowriders became a firmly established part of American culture with the rock band War’s 1975 hit “Low Rider” with the lyrics,

“Low rider don’t use no gas now/The low rider don’t drive too fast.”

“I love the old-school culture of lowriders,” Herrera says. “It was best cruising in Española in the ’80s.

I would put rims on the family car to make it look like a lowrider and cruise around before I started making my own. When Heritage Hotels and Resorts approached me about buying one of my cars to park outside of Low ’n Slow, I was really honored. It’s really cool that they’re respecting this part of New Mexico so much. It’s about friends and family, working on cars with your dad and cruising with friends. You learn a lot and it kept us out of trouble.”

For a true local experience, Hotel Chimayó guests can cruise in Herrera’s customized Impala, riding low and slow through the streets of Santa Fe as the driver/ guide points out the fascinating details and history of

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ABOVE: Kimberly Herrera bought husband Jimmy his classic Chevy. He preserved its details and added custom elements, like chrome accents.

the City Different. Back at the Low ’n Slow Bar and Lounge at Hotel Chimayó, they can enjoy specialty drinks named in honor of notable New Mexico lowrider artists and their cars, such as the Chimayó Vigil (a customized Manhattan named for Pete Vigil’s 1931 Ford) and the First Car (a Cosmopolitan that nods to Orlando Martinez, Jr.’s 1983 Monte Carlo). Photographs of lowriders from the book Low ’n Slow: Lowriding in New Mexico by Carmella Padilla and Juan Estevan Arellano, with photography by Jack Parsons (Museum of New Mexico Press, 1999), further enhances the experience.

“It’s a great way for visitors to Santa Fe to learn not just about the city’s history on these tours, but

Most Instagrammable Moment Brides, grooms, friends, and visitors alike are making this 1964 Chevy Impala the most Instagrammable moment when they visit Santa Fe. Stop by for a picture. @hotelchimayo, #hotelchimayo @lowandslowsantafe, #lowandslowbarsantafe also the history of the people who call Santa Fe home,” Herrera says. “This doesn’t just honor lowriders, it honors us and our family and friends. I have a lot of great memories around lowriders. I don’t think fifteen-year-old me would believe that lowriders are being celebrated like this now.”

E

x p l o r E

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Hotel Chimayó de Santa Fe online at hotelchimayo.com

l

a s

C

r u C E s

705 South Telshor Blvd., Las Cruces | 575-522-4300 | HotelEncanto.com

Dakkya sells Jemez Pueblo artist Kathleen Wall’s celebrated koshari (clowns) and storytellers.

Carefully Curated Dakkya stores select fine creations from New Mexico artisans.

By Ashley M. Biggers

F

OR MORE THAN FORTY YEARS, Palms Trading Company has been a purveyor of authentic, quality Native American jewelry, pottery, and more in Albuquerque. Primarily a wholesale business, Palms caters to retailers around New Mexico and the globe, with carefully selected merchandise by well-known and emerging artists. “We want people to know that this is authentic merchandise, and we wouldn’t do it any other way,” says Palms owner Guy Berger.

In 2015, Palms launched its first satellite retail outlet inside Eldorado Hotel & Spa in Santa Fe, to serve the public directly—and in particular travelers. The galleries are exclusive to Heritage Hotels

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& Resorts, and they’ve since expanded to other locales, including the Inn and Spa at Loretto in Santa Fe; El Monte Sagrado in Taos; and Hotel Chaco in Albuquerque.

The latter inspired the gallery’s name. The hotel draws design inspiration from the Puebloan Great Houses of Chaco Canyon, so, in keeping with that tradition, the owners chose the name Dakkya, meaning “frog” in the Zuni language, based off a stone frog carving found in Chaco ruins.

The tribal leaders of Zuni Pueblo, which is home to the most recognized stone fetish carvers, granted permission for the shops to use the name.

Palms got its start in 1933 as an Albuquerque food market and later added packaged-liquor sales. Throughout its his-

tory, the store traded with Native American customers, swapping jewelry for staples such as flour and sacks of potatoes.

In the 1970s, an influx of chain grocery stores nearly put the family shop out of business, so it shifted gears to become a trading company. Peter Berger, general manager of Dakkya and a member of the fourth generation in the family business, says during the transition his relatives visited pueblos and the Navajo Nation to build relationships with the artisans. Those ties still drive their business today. “We’ve developed relationships with families that have lasted for generations,” he says.

For example, renowned Jemez Pueblo artist Kathleen Wall sold her first piece to Palms when she was still in high school.

SHOP DAKKYA

IN SANTA FE AT ELDORADO HOTEL & SPA, AND INN AND SPA AT LORETTO; IN TAOS AT EL MONTE SAGRADO; AND IN ALBUQUERQUE AT HOTEL CHACO.

COURTESY KATHLEEN WALL

COURTESY PALMS TRADING COMPANY

Now she mainly sells her clay and bronze figures directly to collectors and during Santa Fe Indian Market; however, she continues to bring her work to Palms because of that long-standing relationship. Because Palms owns and makes the selections for the Dakkya galleries, shoppers at the retail stores benefit from these connections, too. The galleries feature a carefully chosen collection of fine Native American and Hispanic jewelry, pottery, and weavings.

Peter Berger says Dakkya also sells made-in-New Mexico gift and lifestyle items that expand Palms’ usual focus. “The Dakkya stores have afforded us the opportunity to go outside our comfort zone,” he says. In the stores, customers can find Los Poblanos’ line of lavender body products, which are harvested and distilled in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque; and landscape paintings and limited-edition giclées (fine-art prints) by Taos artist Richard Alan Nichols, to name just two. Still, Berger says, “our bread and butter is Native American jewelry and pottery”—as it’s been for decades at this family business.

Dakkya’s parent company, Palms Trading Company, has specialized in Native American jewelry since the 1970s.

Jewelry Buying Tips from Dakkya General Manager Peter Berger THE POPULARITY OF Native

• DON’T BE AFRAID to ask

buys directly from artists for its

whether a seller is trustworthy.

American–style jewelry has led

questions. Retailers must be able

wholesale business and Dakkya, so

Look for traders with longevity and

to a proliferation of knockoffs.

to identify what customers are

the staff is familiar with artists’ hall-

who have lasting relationships with

Although the 1935 Indian Arts and

buying. For example, they should

marks (the artists’ signatures), their

artists. “It’s really difficult to identify

Crafts Act outlaws misrepresenting

know if the turquoise is natural or

backgrounds, and their processes.

authenticity unless you’ve been

reproductions as Native American–

synthetic, where the turquoise was

made, sometimes these fakes slip

mined, and if the silver is sterling.

• FIND A REPUTABLE DEALER

says. Finding a trustworthy store

through. So how do you know if

The retailer should also know who

and stick with it. Asking questions

to collect from over time takes the

made the piece of jewelry. Palms

about the goods should reveal

guess work out of shopping.

you’re getting the real deal?

doing it for a long time,” Berger

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A Lifestyle to Take Home Spur Line Supply Co. is bonafide destination shopping. By Ashley M. Biggers

A

LBUQUERQUE’S SAWMILL DISTRICT, next to Hotel Chaco and Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town, is transforming into a dining and shopping destination. Heritage Hotels & Resorts envisioned a retail store as part of the neighborhood’s evolution and partnered with Spur Line Supply Co. on a lifestyle concept shop. Open since September 2017, Spur Line Supply Co. captures travelers’ and locals’ fancies with its menagerie of unique goods.

Operator Tess Coats, who graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and previously worked at top shops such as women’s clothing retailer

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Anthropologie, brings the vision to life. The store features more than a hundred New Mexico vendors, from purple stegosaurus onesies from Baby Blastoff, a locally grown kids apparel company; to quippy cards from the Power & Light Press, an import from Silver City, New Mexico; to Hi-Phi, the resident vinyl record store. Since its founding two years ago, the shop has greatly expanded its men’s and women’s apparel offerings. One standout label has been Organ Mountain Outfitters, a Las Cruces– based t-shirt and accessories company with a social mission. For every purchase made, the company donates a lunch to a student in need in the local school system.

From the start, the team behind Spur Line Supply Co. envisioned it as a destination—not just a store. At the in-house coffee shop, shoppers can linger over delectable pastries with a cup of pour-over coffee from Santa Fe roaster Iconik. “They take so much pride in their coffee product, and it aligns with our ethics and mission to keep it local,” Coats says.

Spur Line also offers a full calendar of events, from weekly classes with instructors from mobile yoga studio YogaZo, to macramé classes with Annalea Hart, owner of Rope and Root and the creator of the massive rope sculpture that’s a focal point of the store’s floor display. “One of our more important pieces of the puzzle was to provide a way to experience the lifestyle,” says Coats. “We want to add to peoples’ lives by giving them something they can take away or learn, and to bring together the maker and the consumer.”

Spur Line features local businesses like Hi-Phi records, Live Love ABQ, and florists. Opposite: Coats’s mobile shop Spectacle Caravan found a permanent parking spot at Spur Line.

EMILY JOANNE

HERITAGE HOTELS & RESORTS

Dryland Wilds offers some of store-goers’ favorite workshops. A purveyor of fine homemade soaps, balms, and botanical perfumes using plants foraged from the desert, Dryland Wilds’ body products are available in the store. “All of their products feature truly New Mexican scents, so if you’re not from here, they take you right back to New Mexico, whether the mesas, the riversides, or the peaks,” Coats says.

Dryland Wilds also teaches workshop attendees to distill their own New Mexico fragrances through desert botanical perfumery classes and “wild walks” to learn about edible and useful desert plants.

In 2019, Coats says Spur Line is aiming even higher with large-scale events that include pop-up shops, workshops, live music, and even wine tastings.

The offerings and calendar of event is always evolving. Coats observes, “There’s always something new each time you come in.”

EMILY JOANNE

HERITAGE HOTELS & RESORTS

SPUR LINE SUPPLY CO. 800 20th St. NW in Albuquerque spurlinesupplyco.com

HHANDR.COM

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Level5

CULTURALLY DISTINCT RESTAURANTS New Mexico is world renowned for exquisite culinary offerings.

at Hotel Chaco 2000 Bellamah Ave. NW Albuquerque, NM 505.247.0708 • HotelChaco.com Enjoy beautifully layered flavors and outstanding panoramic mountain views at Level 5, the rooftop restaurant and lounge at Hotel Chaco. Savor craft cocktails and an unforgettable culinary journey.

agave at Eldorado Hotel & Spa 309 W. San Francisco St. Santa Fe, NM 505.988.4455 • EldoradoHotel.com Enter a world of celebrated culinary delight and libations at the Agave Restaurant & Lounge.

Agave is a chic, casual dining experience with bold, clean flavors and fresh, local ingredients.

de la Tierra

Luminaria

Estevan

at El Monte Sagrado 317 Kit Carson Rd. Taos, NM 575.758.3502 • ElMonteSagrado.com

at Inn and Spa at Loretto 211 Old Santa Fe Trail Santa Fe, NM 505.988.5531 • HotelLoretto.com

at Hotel Chimayo de Santa Fe 125 Washington Ave. Santa Fe, NM 505.930.5363 • EstevanRestaurante.com

Enjoy a taste of the local, seasonal flavors

Luminaria Restaurant and Patio is

Estevan Restaurante is elevated New Mexican

that make the region unique. De la Tierra’s

recognized by locals and visitors alike

fare where Chef Estevan Garcia has created a

menu features healthier options including

for its tranquil, inviting setting and inventive,

menu using favorite traditional northern

vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free.

globally inspired menu. We invite you to dine

New Mexico dishes including Chimayó red chile,

and discover the flavors of Santa Fe.

chicos, posole, and calabacitas. All items are organic and locally purchased.

Market Steer Steakhouse at Hotel St Francis 210 Don Gaspar Ave. Santa Fe, NM 505.992.6354 • MarketSteerSteakhouse.com

Garduños at Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW Albuquerque, NM 505.843.6300 • HotelABQ.com

Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque at Hotel Albuquerque 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW 505.222.8797 • tablaoflamenco.org

Enjoy authentic regional New Mexican

Modern meets traditional in this intimate venue.

Chef Kathleen Crook’s creative approach to classic

and Mexican cuisine in the inviting

Enjoy dynamic world-class Flamenco performances,

American food, Market Steer Steakhouse offers a

hacienda-style interior or the lush outdoor garden

exquisite Sevillan tapas, and custom cocktails,

refreshing take on fine dining in a charming atmo-

patio. Garduño's offers an extensive selection of

including house-made sangria. Visit website

sphere. Enjoy a bowl of steaming mussels on the

tequila, wine, liqueurs, and world-class margaritas.

for performance times & tickets.

patio or an elegant cut of prime beef inside.

HHANDR.COM

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Hotel Chaco

CULTURALLY DISTINCT HOTELS

2000 Bellamah Ave. NW Albuquerque, NM 505.247.0708 • HotelChaco.com This new hotel is a contrast of ancient

Each of our hotels and resorts in New Mexico celebrates the rich, multicultural heritage of the Southwest, drawing from its unique blend of Native American, Mexican, Spanish, and Western cultural and historical influences.

Through architecture, interior design, original artwork, landscaping, entertainment, and cuisine, Heritage Hotels & Resorts provides guests with an authentic cultural experience in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Taos, and Las Cruces.

and modern elements. Hotel Chaco is the first New Mexico property designed by legendary global design firm Gensler, which drew inspiration from the Ancestral Puebloan people and the ruins of Chaco Canyon.

CONNECT WITH US @HeritageHotelsandResorts @HeritageHtls HeritageHtlsandRsts @heritagehtls @heritagehtls newmexicotravelblog.com

Heritage Hotels & Resorts, Inc. 201 Third St. NW, Suite 1140 Albuquerque, NM 87102 HHandR.com Email: contactus@hhandr.com

HOTEL CHACO

El Monte Sagrado

Eldorado Hotel & Spa

Inn and Spa at Loretto

317 Kit Carson Rd. Taos, NM 575.758.3502 • ElMonteSagrado.com

309 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe, NM 505.988.4455 • EldoradoHotel.com

211 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 505.988.5531 • HotelLoretto.com

Condé Nast Traveler’s 2017 readers’ choice

Condé Nast Traveler’s 2017 readers’ choice

Immerse yourself in a world of serenity and

winner for Southwest and West, Eldorado Hotel &

winner for Southwest and West, this iconic hotel

wellness at El Monte Sagrado, the premier luxury

Spa is conveniently located near the historic Plaza.

is just steps away from the historic Santa Fe Plaza.

resort in Taos. The hotel features the award-

Guests experience luxury amenities including an

The architecture is modeled after Taos Pueblo

winning Living Spa, De la Tierra restaurant,

on-site restaurant and bars, rooftop pool, world-

and the property features an award-winning spa,

Anaconda Bar, and exquisite indoor and

class Nidah Spa, and more than 22,000 square

outdoor pool, and Santa Fe’s only penthouse suite.

outdoor event and meeting space.

feet of indoor and outdoor event space.

The hotel has 12,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Hotel St. Francis 210 Don Gaspar Ave. Santa Fe, NM 505.983.5700 • HotelStFrancis.com

Hotel Chimayó de Santa Fe

Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town

125 Washington Ave. Santa Fe, NM 505.988.4900 • HotelChimayo.com

800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 505.843.6300 • HotelABQ.com

Hotel St. Francis is on the National Register of

A boutique hotel in the heart of downtown,

Offering historic grandeur and comfort,

Historic Places and sits just one block from the

Hotel Chimayo is conveniently located steps

Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town exemplifies

Santa Fe Plaza. This historic hotel embodies

away from the historic Santa Fe Plaza and

Albuquerque style and features an on-site

Santa Fe and is named for the city’s patron saint.

celebrates the culture of Chimayó, a distinctive

restaurant and bars, outdoor swimming pool,

The décor features authentic wood furniture

northern New Mexico community. The hotel

romantic wedding chapel, and more than

hand-crafted by local artisans. It also features Se-

features the Low ’n Slow Lowrider Bar

62,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor

creto Lounge, a Gruet tasting room, and Market

and Estevan Restaurant.

meeting and event space.

Steer Steakhouse.

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Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces 705 S. Telshor Blvd.

Las Cruces, NM 575.522.4300 • HotelEncanto.com A unique hotel that reflects New Mexico’s Spanish and Colonial traditions, Hotel Encanto has a beautiful resort pool lined with palm trees and 35,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Hotel Encanto features Garduños Mexican

EXPERIENCE VALUE AT OUR LODGES

Restaurant & Cantina and Azul Ultralounge.

Palacio de Marquesa 405 Cordoba Rd. Taos, NM 575.758.4777 • MarquesaTaos.com Palacio de Marquesa is conveniently located near the historic Taos Plaza.The design pays tribute to the remarkable women artists of Taos. This inn offers custom made-to-order daily breakfast.

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Nativo Lodge

Lodge at Santa Fe

6000 Pan American Fwy. NE Albuquerque, NM 505.798.4300 • NativoLodge.com

750 N. St. Francis Dr. Santa Fe, NM 505.992.5800 • LodgeAtSantaFe.com

Nativo Lodge is inspired by the vibrancy

On a hilltop overlooking downtown, the Lodge at

of Native American culture and traditions.

Santa Fe is just five minutes from the Santa Fe

The hotel features artist rooms designed

Plaza and minutes from Ski Santa Fe and the

by contemporary Native American artists.

Santa Fe Opera. Experience rooms furnished in

It was named “Artiest Hotel in America”

custom Southwest décor, with an outdoor pool

by World Property Journal.

on site and beautiful mountain views.

World Class Relaxation Nidah Spa

The Spa at Loretto

Living Spa

Eldorado Hotel & Spa

Inn and Spa at Loretto

El Monte Sagrado Resort and Spa

309 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe 505.995.4535 EldoradoHotel.com/NidahSpa

211 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe 505.984.7997 HotelLoretto.com/Spa

317 Kit Carson Rd., Taos 575.737.9880 ElMonteSagrado.com/Spa HHANDR.COM

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TAOS

El Monte Sagrado Resort & Spa 855.846.8267 ElMonteSagrado.com Palacio de Marquesa 855.846.8267 MarquesaTaos.com

Pictured is Eldorado Hotel & Spa in Santa Fe.

SANTA FE

Hotel Chaco 866.505.7829 HotelChaco.com Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town 800.237.2133 HotelAbq.com

Eldorado Hotel & Spa 800.955.4455 EldoradoHotel.com Inn and Spa at Loretto 866.582.1646 HotelLoretto.com Hotel St. Francis 800.529.5700 HotelStFrancis.com Hotel Chimayo de Santa Fe 855.752.9273 HotelChimayo.com

ALBUQUERQUE

LAS CRUCES

Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces 866.383.0443 HotelEncanto.com