SantaFe.com

As New Mexico commemorates its 400th anniversary, some historians wonder if political correctness is dividing our state.

The recent vandalism of a bronze sculpture of conquistador Don Juan de Oñate at a public visitors center north of Española was just another reminder that few of those we honor come without some sinister baggage.

Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson and Kit Carson are just a few members in a growing pantheon of historical figures who have been cast in unfavorable light by revisionist historians. Does that mean we shouldn't honor them?

Tuesday, January 15, 2008
by Ray Rivera (January 11, 1998) • Santa Fe New Mexican

Zoraida and Eulogio Ortega spent nearly 60 combined years in the education field. Zoraida taught at Velarde Elementary School, and Eulogio served as Dixon Elementary's principal. They retired in 1975, but for the couple, retirement merely signified the beginning of a new chapter in life.

Their love and talent for art flourished during this time. In the early 1980s, Zoraida became ill and promised Our Lady of Guadalupe that if she got well she would build a chapel in her honor. Her wish was granted, and soon after that, the chapel became a reality.

Today, people come from all over to...

Saturday, May 1, 1999
by Erika Davila • Santa Fe Living Treasures and Santa Fe New Mexican

Al Wadle has been the owner of Santa Fe's Wadle Gallery since 1981. According to Mary Lou Cook, he is probably known best among artists for his kind manner and open-mindedness. Wadle, the son of immigrants, grew up in poverty and today lives by the philosophy that the more you give, the more you will receive. He applies this philosophy when dealing with his artists, he said.

“We have a deep respect for our artists, and we appreciate the contributions they make,” Wadle said.

Wadle, a native of New Jersey, said being named a “treasure” made him realize that there is much more that needs...

Saturday, May 1, 1999
by Erika Davila • Santa Fe Living Treasures and Santa Fe New Mexican

Joanne Rijmes has photographs in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Her work has appeared in publications across America. She lives in Dulce, New Mexico. Her photography for this book spans the first ten years of the Living Treasures program. Joanne received her MA in photography from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Joanne Rijmes remembers wondering about the pungent chemical smell of her mother's darkroom when she was two years old. Some 58 years later, Rijmes is being named a Living Treasure for her work as a photographer.

Friday, August 1, 1997
by Jodi Garber • Santa Fe Living Treasures and Santa Fe New Mexican