The Renovation of Historic St. Antonio de Padua in Cordova

Photos by Victor Goler. Conservation work by Victor Goler, Felix Lopez, and Jerry Sandoval.

Article by Pete Warzel

In November 2021, Victor Goler, master santero and art conservator, along with fellow santeros Felix Lopez and Jerry Sandoval, began a project enabled by Nuevo Mexico Profundo, a non-profit organization focused on the historic, some forgotten and neglected, churches of New Mexico, for repair and stabilization. Tours and events held by Profundo raise money that goes directly to the churches for their care.

This project was quite something different. The altar screens and bultos, originally created by the iconic New Mexico santero José Rafael Aragón in the early 1800s, were in disrepair due to age and climate changes within the church at Cordova, New Mexico. It was not an instance of neglect or mishandling, rather the erosion by time. Profundo hired Victor and his associates, after fundraising for the project, substantially endowed by the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust, and individual donors, to conserve and stabilize the important and beautiful artwork.

The project was completed in March 2022, with stirring results.

This is an endeavor that highlights community – the love of the church by the mayordomos, the caretakers, the villagers in Cordova, and the community of santeros who collaborated on the stabilization of the artwork. It is important to cultural history, and it is important to Cordova.

Two weeks ago, our Stewards Members were invited to see the results, with a presentation by Victor Goler on the work. We had visited in December 2021, as the work began, and Victor presented the process and steps he and his colleagues would be following for the next four months. In this piece are photographs of the completed project. You can see that the artwork, the space, the accomplishment, are very special and a testament to the longevity and continuity of Northern New Mexico.

The Albuquerque Journal published an excellent article on the restoration.

Michael Romero Taylor Interview

Nuevo Mexico Profundo started on an oral biography/heritage archive project conducted by Frank Graziano. The interviewees are a cross-section of experience in New Mexico. Profundo’s Frank Graziano presents another extensive, personal look at the life and work of Michael Romero Taylor.

Michael Romero Taylor has been working for the last forty years in historic preservation. His experience includes historic site management, architectural conservation, management of cultural routes, museum/visitor center management and archaeological site preservation. In the United States, he served as the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Officer in 1994-95, and was the Deputy Director of New Mexico State Monuments from 1995 to 2001. Taylor earned a masters certificate from the Architectural Conservation Course through ICCROM in Rome, Italy 1987, and has been active with the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) for the past twenty five years. He has lectured on historic preservation with emphasis on earthen architecture, site management, and cultural routes in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. In 2010, he was selected as a visiting scholar to the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles. Taylor earned a certificate in Historic Preservation and Regionalism from the University of New Mexico in 2016. He retired in 2019 from the National Park Service working as a cultural resource specialist for nine congressionally designated historic trails in the United States. His research interests include international approaches to preservation, protection and management of cultural routes.

More on Nuevo Mexico Profundo here.

Profundo Heritatge Archive: An Interview with Harry Vasile

Nuevo Mexico Profundo started on an oral biography/heritage archive project last year, and completed forty plus interviews, conducted by Frank Graziano. The folks recorded cover a cross-section of experience in New Mexico. Frank is ready to begin phase two of the project in April, 2021, interviewing and capturing the history of more New Mexicans over the course of this year.

We present today a fascinating interview with Harry Vasile at the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico. Harry, as you will discover, was instrumental in restoring the magnificent St. Joseph Apache Mission church at Mescalero. (This is the location of the Apache Christ altar painted by Robert Lentz, screen, a stunning depiction of Christ as an Apache shaman on the fourth day of the puberty ceremony.) He also worked with kids as a coach and counselor at the rehabilitation center, and instituted a job-skill training program by hiring young at-risk workers for the restoration project. “Historic restoration as self-restoration”, to quote Frank Graziano from his book Historic Churches of New Mexico Today.

We hope you enjoy listening to Harry tell his life story.

More on Nuevo Mexico Profundo here.

Profundo Heritage Archive Interview with Anne Bingaman

HSFF is delighted to present the next n the Profundo Heritage Archives series of interviews with Anne Bingaman.

This piece is part of the Profundo Heritage Archive of over 50+ interviews with prominent cultural figures in New Mexican conducted by Nuevo Mexico Profundo’s Frank Graziano. The complete archive will eventually reside at University of New Mexico’s Center for Southwest Research. View the list of current interviews here.

About Nuevo Mexico Profundo
Nuevo Mexico Profundo is the venture that conducts tours of New Mexico churches on the High Road, in the mountain villages, at pueblos, to raise money for the repair and restoration of these churches so important to the communities where they reside. Profundo is a collaboration started by Frank Graziano and supported by the Historic Santa Fe Foundation, Spanish Colonial Arts Society, Cornerstones Community Partnerships, New Mexico Historic Preservation Division, the Office of the New Mexico State Historian, and the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance. Given the conditions of the ongoing health crisis, tours and events planned by Profundo have been canceled for the year. This program of interviews and recording histories was put into action according to social distancing and health regulations. You can learn more about Nuevo Mexico Profundo at nuevo-mexico-profundo.com.

Profundo Heritage Archive Interview with Jeff Bingaman

Senator Jeff Bingaman served New Mexico in Congress from 1982-2012. In this interview, conducted just days before the 2020 presidential election, he focuses on today’s political condition in the US Capitol, and his experience there, especially in his role in the passing of the Affordable Care Act. He openly and candidly presents a relevant discussion for the 2020 political state of the federal legislative branch and how this is reflected in American culture. This conversation will add value to a contemporary commentary of our current political climate for posterity. Frank Graziano starts his questions regarding Bingaman’s early years in Silver City, NM to his time studying at Harvard through law school at Stanford University, meeting his wife Anne, their subsequent move back to New Mexico, their settling in Santa Fe, Bingaman’s time in the Reserves, and follows through his time in public service. This discussion gives a background for the political career of one of the most influential contemporary New Mexico politicians.

This piece is part of the Profundo Heritage Archive of over 50+ interviews with prominent cultural figures in New Mexican conducted by Nuevo Mexico Profundo’s Frank Graziano. The complete archive will eventually reside at University of New Mexico’s Center for Southwest Research. View the list of current interviews here.

About Nuevo Mexico Profundo
Nuevo Mexico Profundo is the venture that conducts tours of New Mexico churches on the High Road, in the mountain villages, at pueblos, to raise money for the repair and restoration of these churches so important to the communities where they reside. Profundo is a collaboration started by Frank Graziano and supported by the Historic Santa Fe Foundation, Spanish Colonial Arts Society, Cornerstones Community Partnerships, New Mexico Historic Preservation Division, the Office of the New Mexico State Historian, and the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance. Given the conditions of the ongoing health crisis, tours and events planned by Profundo have been canceled for the year. This program of interviews and recording histories was put into action according to social distancing and health regulations. You can learn more about Nuevo Mexico Profundo at nuevo-mexico-profundo.com.

Nuevo Mexico Profundo Interview Series: Mac Watson

This subject is near and dear to many of us, especially at the Historic Santa Fe Foundation. Mac Watson is a consummate professional in the field of preservation, and our former Chair of the Foundation Board. He is a native of Santa Fe and the interview covers growing up here, his life and work, and thoughts on the future of preservation. This is well worth a listen from a well respected member of this community.

Mac has added this written note to his audio discussion:

After listening to the recording of my conversation with Frank Graziano I became concerned that, in response to Frank’s questions about my experiences growing up in Santa Fe and about my relations with Hispanic children in particular, I may have presented a completely negative story. I spoke about a few experiences when I was subject to aggression at the hands of small gangs of Hispanic kids, mainly because those moments are at the surface of my memory and recalled without effort.  What I failed to mention are the many Hispanic friends I had throughout my time in public school here in Santa Fe, from the 4th grade and until I left after the 10th grade to attend school on Colorado.

As one might expect, most but not all of these friendships were with boys. When I started the 4th grade I knew not a soul in the school so Rudy Rios, whose desk was next to mine soon became my “best friend.” We have remained friends over all the years that have passed and I became close to many in his family--his parents, his younger brother  León, his sisters Cecilia and Rita, and Rudy’s nephew Juan. Before the Covid struck, one of my favorite pastimes was to join the Rios family in the family home on Camino del Monte Sol for their regular family lunch.

Several of my friendships were made with kids who were in the both in the junior high and high school bands with me. These include the brothers Donald and Horacio Manzanares and Stanley Griego Evans. Stan, when I meet him now, never fails to make sure that I’m told that he was a better musician than I was.

I knew the basketball stars Jerry and Leonard Roybal in junior high. Because we were in the same grade, Leonard and I were closer. I remain happy to congratulate Lenny whenever he coaches the Espanola Sun Devils to another state championship. These friendships and many others were possible for me because Santa Fe’s neighborhoods were considerably more ethnically “mixed” than they are now. 

About Nuevo Mexico Profundo
Nuevo Mexico Profundo is the venture that conducts tours of New Mexico churches on the High Road, in the mountain villages, at pueblos, to raise money for the repair and restoration of these churches so important to the communities where they reside. Profundo is a collaboration started by Frank Graziano and supported by the Historic Santa Fe Foundation, Spanish Colonial Arts Society, Cornerstones Community Partnerships, New Mexico Historic Preservation Division, the Office of the New Mexico State Historian, and the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance. Given the conditions of the ongoing health crisis, tours and events planned by Profundo have been canceled for the year. This program of interviews and recording histories was put into action according to social distancing and health regulations. You can learn more about Nuevo Mexico Profundo at nuevo-mexico-profundo.com.