New Mexico's Sacred Places: Heritage Preservation Month May 2009

Historic image of Eagle Dancer at Tesuque Pueblo circa 1941

What is considered sacred in New Mexico varies as much by region as it does by the types of places its citizens hold in reverence. But, they have common attributes.

Sacred places have spiritual significance because people have chosen them as places to congregate for notable occasions and personal enrichment. They are places of enlightenment charged with energy from years and centuries of events that have happened in their proximity

When the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division asked the public to send in images of "Sacred Places," the theme for Heritage Preservation Month and its annual poster this year, it received some 75 photographs and copies of paintings and artwork. A lake near Taos, the ruins of Spanish mission churches at Jemez and Pecos, Pueblo Bonito at Chaco Canyon, a pueblito in northwestern New Mexico, land formations, churches of the Tularosa Basin, trails and a morada were among them. It is the image of what is believed to be New Mexico's oldest morada, the East Morada in Abiquiu or "Morada del Alto de Abiquiu,", that was chosen for the 2009 Heritage Preservation Month poster, published for 21 years in celebration of New Mexico's cultural heritage. It was photographed by well-known New Mexico photographer Kirk Gittings, who told HPD when he submitted several images for the poster that he had made recording New Mexico' sacred places on film a significant part of his life's work.

Heritage Preservation Month is a national event celebrated in most of the country's 50 states and territories. Originated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it is an opportunity for communities to highlight the importance of preserving the nation's heritage with grassroots efforts to save historic buildings, provide stewardship of archaeological sites, promote heritage tourism and education, and community revitalization.

This year New Mexico also celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Museum of New Mexico, and events at several museums around the state, the traveling Van of Enchantment and the grand opening of the new History Museum in Santa Fe are highlighted in the calendar. For more information on Heritage Preservation Month...

The annual Roswell "Hike It & Spike It” is May 22-24

An estimated 25,000 players and spectators will gather over Memorial Day Weekend to watch flag-football teams from across the country battle it out on 25 fields at the Cielo Grande Recreation Area in Roswell, New Mexico. A charity event, proceeds will benefit the United Way of Chaves County. More...

Native Treasures: Indian Arts Festival May 23-24 Santa Fe

Presented by the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Native Treasures features over 170 Native American artists, who are specially invited by the Museum to represent the best and brightest of the Indian art world. In fact, many of the artists at Native Treasures are included in the Museum's permanent collection. More...

Taos' "Summer of Love" Dennis Hopper at the Harwood Museum of Art

To mark his years in Taos, and the 40th anniversary of the release of Easy Rider, The Harwood Museum of Art, in conjunction with Taos’ “Summer of Love” celebrations, presents “Hopper at the Harwood,” opening May 9th, featuring two exhibitions: “Selected Photographs and Paintings” by Dennis Hopper and “Forty Years of Friendship: LA to Taos,” featuring works by Larry Bell, Ken Price, Ron Cooper, Ronald Davis, and Robert Dean Stockwell More...

LeRoy Neiman Exhibition this Summer at the Hubbard Museum

An exceptional exhibition of 58 rarely seen paintings by the legendary artist, LeRoy Neiman - on loan from a private collection - will be featured in an exhibition entitled "A Season with the Paintings of LeRoy Neiman" at the Hubbard Museum of the American West in Ruidoso Downs May 23-September 13, 2009. More...