Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
194
Fun Facts
High on Art
If you really like art and want to meet artists, check out one of the
Art Studio
Tours
held in the fall in the region. Artists spend months preparing their best
work, and then open their doors to visitors. Wares range from pottery and
paintings to furniture and woodcarvings to ristras and dried-flower arrange-
ments. The most notable tour is the
High Road Studio Art Tour
(www.high-
roadnewmexico.com) in mid- to late September. If you're not in the region
during that time, watch the newspapers (such as the
Santa Fe New Mexican's
Friday edition “Pasatiempo”) for notices of other art-studio tours. Good ones
are held in
Galisteo
(in mid-Oct; www.galisteostudiotour.com);
Abiquiu
(early
Sept; www.abiquiustudiotour.org);
El Rito
(mid-Oct; www.elritolibrary.org/
studiotour.html); and
Dixon
(early Nov; www.dixonarts.org). If you're not here
during those times, you can still visit many of the galleries listed on the web-
sites.
toward the highlands to the village of
Cordova,
known for its woodcarvers, and higher
still to
Truchas,
a renegade arts town where Hispanic traditions and ways of life continue
much as they did a century ago. Though I've described this tour from south to north, the
most scenic way to see it is from north to south, when you travel down off the mountains
rather than up into them. This way, you see more expansive views.
7
CHIMAYO
About 28 miles north of Santa Fe on NM 76/285 is the historic weaving center of Chi-
mayo. It's approximately 16 miles past the Pojoaque junction, at the junction of NM 520
and NM 76 via NM 503. In this small village, families still maintain the tradition of
crafting hand-woven textiles initiated by their ancestors seven generations ago, in the
early 1800s. One such family is the Ortegas, and
Ortega's Weaving Shop
(
&
505/351-
4215;
www.ortegasweaving.com) and
Galeria Ortega
(
&
505/351-2288;
www.
galeriaortega.com), both at the corner of NM 520 and NM 76, are fine places to take
a close look at this ancient craft. A more humble spot is
Trujillo Weaving Shop
(
&
505/351-4457
), on NM 76. If you're lucky enough to find the proprietors in, you
might get a weaving history lesson. You can see a 100-year-old loom and an even older
shuttle carved from apricot wood. The weavings you'll find are some of the best of the
Rio Grande style, with rich patterns, many made from naturally dyed wool. Also on
display are some fine Cordova woodcarvings. You'll also want to check out
Centinela
Traditional Arts,
946 NM 76 (
&
877/351-2180
or 505/351-2180; www.chimayo
weavers.com), for a good selection of rugs made by weavers from up and down the Rio
Grande Valley. Watch for the chenille shawls by Scarlet Rose.
One of the best places to shop in Chimayo,
Chimayo Trading and Mercantile
(
&
505/351-4566
), on NM 76, is a richly cluttered store carrying local arts and crafts
as well as select imports. It has a good selection of katsinas and Hopi corn maidens, as
well as specialty items such as elaborately beaded cow skulls. Look for George Zarolinski's
“smoked porcelain.”
