Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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varied, including panoramas and images of the Native American and Hispanic villagers.
The setting in what was Fechin's home from 1927 until 1933 is truly unique. The his-
toric building commemorates his career. Born in Russia in 1881, Fechin came to the
United States in 1923, already acclaimed as a master of painting, drawing, sculpture,
architecture, and woodwork. In Taos, he renovated the home and embellished it with
hand-carved doors, windows, gates, posts, fireplaces, and other features of a Russian
country home. Fechin died in 1955. Though the collection and home are interesting,
some visitors balk at the price. If you're one of those, you can at least see Fechin's studio,
which is attached to the gift shop, for free. Also, bear in mind that this museum is pri-
vately funded, so your dollars are a real help. Plan to spend 1 hour here.
227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte.
&
575/758-2690.
www.taosmuseums.org. Admission $8 adults, $7 seniors,
$4 children 6-12, free for children 5 and under. Summer Thurs-Sun 10am-5pm; call for winter hours.
Taos Historic Museums
Two historical homes are operated as museums,
affording visitors a glimpse of early Taos lifestyles. The Martinez Hacienda and Ernest
Blumenschein home each has unique appeal.
The
Martinez Hacienda,
Lower Ranchitos Road, Highway 240 (
&
575/758-1000
),
is one of the only Spanish colonial haciendas in the United States that's open to the
public year-round. This was the home of the merchant, trader, and
alcalde
(mayor) Don
Antonio Severino Martinez, who bought it in 1804 and lived here until his death in
1827. His eldest son was Padre Antonio José Martinez, northern New Mexico's contro-
versial spiritual leader from 1826 to 1867. Located on the west bank of the Rio Pueblo
de Taos, about 2 miles southwest of the plaza, the museum is remarkably beautiful, with
thick, raw adobe walls. The hacienda has no exterior windows—this was to protect
against raids by Plains tribes.
Twenty-one rooms were built around two
placitas,
or interior courtyards. They give
you a glimpse of the austerity of frontier lives, with only a few pieces of modest period
furniture in each. You'll see bedrooms, stables, a kitchen, and a large fiesta room. Exhib-
its tell the story of the Martinez family and life in Spanish Taos between 1598 and 1821,
when Mexico gained control. Taos Historic Museums has developed the Martinez Haci-
enda into a living museum with weavers, blacksmiths, and wood carvers. Demonstra-
tions are scheduled daily.
The
Ernest L. Blumenschein Home & Museum,
222 Ledoux St. (
&
575/758-
0505
), 1
1
/
2
blocks southwest of the plaza, re-creates the lifestyle of one of the founders
of the Taos Society of Artists (founded 1915). An adobe home with garden walls and a
courtyard, parts of which date from the 1790s, it became the home and studio of Blu-
menschein (1874-1960) and his family in 1919. Period furnishings include European
antiques and handmade Taos furniture in Spanish colonial style.
Blumenschein was born and raised in Cincinnati. In 1898, after training in New York
and Paris, he and fellow painter Bert Phillips were on assignment for
Harper's
and
McClure's
magazines of New York when a wheel of their wagon broke 30 miles north of
Taos. Blumenschein drew the short straw and thus was obliged to bring the wheel by
horseback to Taos for repair. He later recounted his initial reaction to the valley he
entered: “No artist had ever recorded the New Mexico I was now seeing. No writer had
ever written down the smell of this air or the feel of that morning sky. I was receiving . . .
the first great unforgettable inspiration of my life. My destiny was being decided.”
That spark later led to the foundation of Taos as an art colony. An extensive collection
of works by early-20th-century Taos artists, including some by Blumenschein's wife,
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