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Threads of Time: Navajo, Pueblo, and Hispanic Textiles in the Rio Grande Valley

A Learning Vacation in New Mexico
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Contemporary Southwest weaving is the culmination of hundreds of years of cross-cultural interaction between Hispanic, Navajo, and Pueblo peoples. From the elaborately woven cotton, turkey feather, and yucca textiles of ancient Pueblo weavers to the work of independent artists today, weaving in the Southwest has emerged as an innovative art form that interprets tradition in new and exciting ways.

With Dr. Kathleen Whitaker, an anthropologist specializing in the weaving traditions of the American Southwest, we look at the artistic, historic, sacred, and economic value of textile arts in the Southwest. We examine the techniques and styles of the Navajo, Pueblo, and Hispanic weaving traditions and discuss the impact of European and American culture on indigenous art styles. Visits to home studios, long-established workshops, yarn emporiums, fiber farms, galleries, and museums complement our tour.

Trip Scholar: Dr. Kathleen Whitaker

Dr. Kathleen Whitaker is an anthropologist and former director of the School for Advanced Research on the Human Experience's Indian Arts Research Center in Santa Fe. Her interests include the social, political, and economic viability of Navajo weaving; physical analysis of textiles from the past 200 years; and interactive ideas of weaving through time and cultures. Dr. Whitaker's publications include Southwest Textiles: Weavings of the Navajo and Pueblo and Common Threads: Navajo and Pueblo Textiles in the Southwest Museum. A comprehensive array of scholars, experts, and artists joins us throughout the week.

Educational Focus

The history, techniques, and styles of the Navajo, Pueblo, and Hispanic weaving traditions

How historic European expansion into the Southwest, as well as modern-day interest in American Indian art, has influenced indigenous art styles

The role of museums in the preservation of traditional art

Trip Dates and Cost

Dates: Sunday, July 19–Sunday, July 26, 2009

Tuition: Donor* $2,595; Nondonor: $2,720

Deposit: $400

Balance due: May 19, 2009

Daily Trip Itinerary

Sunday, July 19: Albuquerque • Introduction • Discussions and Demonstrations

We arrive at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town for dinner and introductions. Kathy presents "The History of Navajo, Pueblo, and Hispanic Textiles along the Rio Grande." Evelyn Bird Quintana, an embroiderer from the pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh, will join us for discussions and a demonstration. Overnight in Albuquerque. (D)

Monday, July 20: Santa Fe • Santa Fe Museum of Indian Arts and Culture • Museum of Spanish Colonial Art • Evening Program

We visit the Santa Fe Museum of Indian Arts and Culture for an overview of the American Indian cultures of the region. The museum's collections manager, Valerie Verzuh, takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the textiles collection. After lunch, we view the collections at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, guided by textile specialist Josie Caruso. Our evening program is a presentation on the Chief White Antelope Blanket, the blanket purportedly worn by the great Cheyenne chief when he was killed during the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 in Colorado. Kathy will discuss the history of this legendary Navajo blanket, its connection to Chief White Antelope, and the techniques used to examine its authenticity. Overnight in Santa Fe. (B, L, D)

Tuesday, July 21: El Rancho de las Golondrinas • Pueblo of Pojoaque

We spend the morning at El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a living history museum depicting Spanish colonial life in the early eighteenth century, with curator Beatrice Sandoval. At the Pueblo of Pojoaque's Poeh Center, Director Vernon Lujan, a member of the Pueblo of Taos and an archaeologist, arts administrator, and scholar of Pueblo culture, guides us through the collections of Tewa art and introduces us to resident artists and scholars. Dinner is at Gabriel's in Santa Fe, famed for its Old Mexico cuisine. Overnight in Santa Fe. (B, L, D)

Wednesday, July 22: Chimayo • Taos

We drive north to the Spanish colonial village of Chimayo to visit the studio of Centinella Traditional Arts and see demonstrations by Irvin and Lisa Trujillo. Irvin is the 2007 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow. We enjoy authentic New Mexican cuisine at Rancho de Chimayo, a century-old adobe home, before driving the scenic high road to Taos through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, passing small, isolated mountain villages that still retain the flavor of old Spain. Overnight in Taos. (B, L)

Thursday, July 23: Taos • Traditional Lunch

In Taos we visit the textile collections at the Millicent Rogers Museum, where Museum Coordinator Carmela Duran shows us several fine examples of regional textiles, including "chief blankets" that developed in the early 1800s and colcha embroidery, a traditional Spanish colonial style of embroidery dating to the seventeenth century. We are the guests of Marie Reyna, a Crow Canyon Native American Advisory Group member, who treats us to a traditional lunch followed by a tour of Taos Pueblo, the only American Indian community that is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark. Overnight in Taos. (B, L, D)

Friday, July 24: Los Ojos • Tierra Wools • Santa Fe • Evening Program

We drive west through the mountains and badlands of northern New Mexico—inspiration for painter Georgia O'Keefe—to the historic town of Los Ojos. For more than a century, the Rio Grande weaving tradition has been preserved by the Tierra Wools weaving studio. We tour the studio and showroom to watch dyeing, spinning, and weaving demonstrations. Back in Santa Fe, Kathy presents an after-dinner program, "The Appropriation and Commoditization of Navajo Designs by the Zapotec, Hindi, Cambodians, and Others." Overnight in Santa Fe. (B, L, D)

Saturday, July 25: Spanish Market • Santa Fe

Today we are free to explore downtown Santa Fe's Spanish Market, where we enjoy a taste of New Mexico's vibrant Spanish culture and a rare chance to meet some of the best local Hispanic artists. The market features handcrafted traditional arts by 250 local Hispanic artists, continuous music, art demonstrations, and regional foods. This evening, we reconvene to share our experiences of Spanish Market and our final dinner together. Overnight in Santa Fe. (B, D)

Sunday, July 26: Departures from Albuquerque

We drive to Albuquerque, where departures can be scheduled anytime after 10 a.m. (B)

B = breakfast; L = lunch; D = dinner

Tour Details

General Itinerary: Begins and ends in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Travels to Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico. Plan to arrive in Albuquerque by 3 p.m., July 19. Schedule departure from Albuquerque anytime after 10:00 a.m. on July 26.

Tuition: Tuition is per person and is based on shared accommodations. Tuition includes accommodations, meals listed, entry fees and permits, most gratuities, and transportation from arrival in Albuquerque on July 19, 2009, until departure from Albuquerque on July 26, 2009. Transportation to and from Albuquerque is your responsibility.

Accommodations: All nights are spent in first-class hotels. Accommodations are based on double occupancy. Single accommodations are available for an additional fee of $585.

What to Expect: All travel is by Crow Canyon vans. Visits to some locations require moderate walking and standing for up to two hours.

The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center's programs and admission practices are open to applicants of any race, color, nationality, ethnic origin, gender, or sexual orientation.

Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California
CST 2059347-50

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