Santa Fe Cultural Treasures

Tour offerings from Cultural Treasures

These are just some of my Cultural Treasures offerings.  Northern New Mexico is filled with wondrous places to visit and it would be impossible to list them all. I hope these will whet your appetite as you plan your visit to our Land of Enchantment.

 Day Trip to Taos

A visit to Northern New Mexico is not complete without visiting the Taos Pueblo, the oldest inhabited village in the United States. We’ll take the “low road” up along the Rio Grande River with a guided 30-minute tour of the Pueblo.  We can visit artists’ studios and perhaps buy a loaf of homemade Indian Bread.  Lunch in Taos will follow.

We’ll then take the “high road” back to Santa Fe – one of the most beautiful drives in the state.  We’ll stop at the Oviedo Gallery in Chimayo.  It is owned by Pat and Marco Oviedo.  Marco is an acclaimed wood carver and sculptor.  Pat will give us a guided tour of his foundry.  He works in the lost wax method of sculpting. 

We’ll then visit Centinela Traditional Arts. Chimayo is the weaving capital of Northern New Mexico.  This is a tapestry gallery specializing in hand woven tapestry wool precuts.  It is owned by master weavers Lisa and Irvin Trujillo, who is a 6th generation master weaver.  He is also the brother of Pat Oviedo.

Art is the Heart of Truchas Tour

On the beautiful High Road to Taos, Truchas is located 8000 feet above sea level with a backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This picturesque adobe town sits on the edge of a canyon and was the setting for Robert Redford’s The Milagro Beanfield War, the 1988 adaptation of Taos writer John Nichol’s popular novel.    The Truchas River provides water for irrigation; its name translates to trout in Spanish.  The community remains remote and is home to many art galleries and artist’s studios.  

We’ll begin the day at the home of plein-air painter Richard Guzman.  He will create an outdoor (plein-air) painting/demonstration followed by a delectable meal prepared by his wife Dolores.  The Guzmans live on original Spanish Land Grant property and both are amazing story tellers sharing their remarkable history with Cultural Treasures guests.  

The Charm of Chimayo Tour

Chimayo is a beautiful historic village known internationally for the Santuario de Chimayo.  Our tour will begin there.  The Sanctuario was built in 1815 and is known for its reputation as a healing site. Believers claim that dirt from a back room of the church can heal physical and spiritual ills.  It attracts close to 300,000 visitors a year and has been called “no doubt the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States.”  A visit to nearly shops and galleries is always a joy.  

Chimayo is also known for the weaving traditions of the Ortega and Trujillo families, who have been weaving in the Spanish colonial tradition for many generations.  We will visit Centinela Traditional Arts, a tapestry gallery specializing in hand woven products.  It is owned by master weavers Irvin and Lisa Trujillo.  A short drive up the rode to visit the studio/gallery at Oviedo Carvings & Bronze will follow.  Owned and operated by Marco and Patricia Trujillo Oviedo, the property has been in the family since the early 1800’s.  We’ll also see their livestock such as churro sheep, mammoth donkeys and Spanish-cross horses.   

 We’ll enjoy lunch at El Rancho de Chimayo, a 50-year old tradition in Chimayo and a favorite of tourists and locals alike before our return to Santa Fe.

TWO CULTURES TOUR

Depart Santa Fe at for San Ildefonso Pueblo. We’ll enjoy a 20-minute video in the Visitor’s Center on Maria Martinez, world renown artist and founder of the black on black pottery.  A walking tour through the village with visits to artists’ studios will follow. San Ildefonso “Where the water cuts through” dates back to 1300 AD.  It consists of 60,000 acres and has an enrollment of approximately 750 people.

We’ll then drive to Chimayo, the weaving capital of Northern New Mexico and meet Lisa and Irvin Trujillo, master weavers and owners of Centinela Fiber Arts.  

Irvin is a 6th generation master weaver with tapestries in museums all over the world.  

A visit to Chimayo is not complete without seeing the Santuario de Chimayo, built in 1816 and known for its reputation as a healing site.  Believers claim that dirt from a back room of the church can heal physical and spiritual ills.  It attracts close to 300,000 visitors a year and has been called “no doubt the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States.”  We’ll visit shops and other galleries nearby.

Some additional wondrous places may include but are not limited to the following excursions:

Abiquiu and Georgia O’Keeffe Country
Turquoise Trail/Allan Houser Sculpture Gardens/Madrid
Acoma Pueblo
Pueblo Cultural Center, Albuquerque
Pueblo Dances and Feast Days
Santa Fe “City Different” Tour