Each of these languages is still spoken in Northern New Mexico, a Cradle of Settlement that encompasses a mosaic of cultures, including the Jicarilla Apache, 8 Tewa and Tiwa Native Pueblos, and communities established by the descendants of Spanish colonists who settled in the area beginning in 1598, a generation before the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock.
Residents continue to speak their native languages along with English, and to share the traditions and practices of their ancestors in a cultural expression that leaves a strong imprint on residents and visitors alike. Indeed, visitors are advised that most of the place names and references are in Spanish, with Spanish pronunciations.
The Heritage Area stretches south to north from I-40 in the center of the State to the Colorado border. Area boundaries include all of Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Taos counties, a total area of 10,000 square miles in North-central New Mexico.
NEWS
COLCHA CIRCLE: A Stitch of Northern New Mexico Culture, a new documentary film
(505) 852-0030
Tues. thru Sat. 9:30am to 5:00pm (closed Mondays)
NOW SHOWING at The Heritage Center in Alcalde, is a new Documentary film, “Colcha Circle” which captures a wide-ranging discussion on this tradition with 11 acclaimed Colcha Artists from Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado.
Fiber art is one of the oldest forms of artistic expression, and New Mexico is one of the few regions left in the United States where fiber art is thriving. Over the past centuries, fiber art has played a crucial role in the economy of this region. To fully understand and appreciate New Mexico’s diverse culture, rich traditions, and colorful history, you have to understand the art.
Running Time: 44 Minutes, Free Admission. Open to the Public.
Directions: www.yelp.com/biz/northern-rio-grande-national-heritage-center-alcalde
FEATURED ARTIST
Our Meet The Artists section will be undergoing upgrade to facilitate submission and posting of artist's profiles. This will enable visitors to contact artists of all types throughout the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area and to view samples of their work.
LAND WATER PEOPLE TIME
Your Cultural Guide to Northern New Mexico - 2018/2019 Edition
The new fourth issue of our Heritage Area publication is now available in Taos, Española, Santa Fe and vicinities at selected magazine stands and visitor centers, and at our National Heritage Center in Alcalde. You may read it online at issuu.com.
Art Exhibition: "Without Borders: Arté Sín Fronteras"
A partnership Project with History Colorado Center.
Official Site: www.historycolorado.org/exhibit/without-borders-denver
303-447-8679
Without Borders: Arte Sín Fronteras is a unique collaboration of contemporary art and cultural history between the Northern Río Grande National Heritage Area & The History Colorado Center in Denver.
The exhibition highlights a diverse range of art media from an impressive collective of artists that address concepts of living and working within what are called at times homelands and other times borderlands. The work of citizen artists shed light on a dialogue that goes back long before our current definitions of statehood. Language, culture, tradition, and environment are all at the core of how people express ideas about cooperation, education, & resistance in this diversely populated & perpetually contested land.
Featured New Mexican Artists:
Thomas Vigil, Erin Currier, Roxanne Swentzell, Rose B. Simpson, Cara Romero, Jodie Herrera, Vicente Telles, Olivia Romo, Lynnette Haozous, Frank Blazquez, Arlene Ladell Hayes, Adria Malcolm, Alberto Zalma, Valerie Rangel, & Leah Prada Harrison, and Dr. Chip Thomas, aka Jetsonorama.