Hispanic arts & crafts

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Hispanic Arts & Crafts:

Bultos - These brightly colored sculptures of saints or other religious figures are carved from the wood of native New Mexico trees—cottonwood, cottonwood roots, aspen and pine.

Colcha Embroidery - The Spanish word colcha means coverlet or counterpane: however, New Mexicans typically call any bed covering a colcha. Textile enthusiasts use the word colcha to identify an embroidery stitch or a finished piece of embroidery in which the colcha stitch is extensively, if not exclusively, employed.

Paño Art - Paño Art originates in the prisons of the Southwest, where finding materials for artistic expression are rare. The portable and economical aspects of the Paño (handkerchief) allow prisoners to share their work with family and friends, use in bartering, and to mentally escape prison life. The Paños typically depict prison life, loved ones, dreams, memories or personal experiences.

Retablos - A retablo (or lamina) is a small oil painting on any variety of surface, typically a wood carving. Used to honor different saints of the Catholic Church.

Santos - Santos (painted and carved images of saints) have lived in the homes of Hispanic New Mexican as well as Native American families for hundreds of years.

Silverwork - With the silver mines in New Mexico and a tradition brought from Spain, silverwork was a richer expression of art than the tinwork. The artisans that worked in metal were called plateros and traveled the state selling and taking orders from those who could afford their jewelry.

Tinwork - Tinwork is an art form that has been practiced in New Mexico since the 1800s. Each piece is handworked in this tradition.

Weaving - The influence of the master weavers contributed significantly to a lasting textile industry in New Mexico.

Woodworking - New Mexican furniture has developed into its own recognizable style as a result of the available native resources, and the unique Hispano, Native American and Anglo-American amalgam of culture in this region.