"Many craft-minded individuals have been intrigued by the use of tin as practiced in an earlier day in the Southwest but they haven't known how to go about using it themselves. Now...a workbook that tells and shows all". -- New Mexican

A beautifully illustrated book on the origins and history of traditional Hispanic tinwork.

Anglo-Americans in New Mexico were a major cause of the decline of traditional Spanish New Mexican crafts in the nineteenth century; in a reverse swing, they helped to bring about a revival in the twentieth century. When the railroad came west in the 1880s life in New Mexico changed almost overnight, and crafts which had thrived in isolation declined rapidly. Then in the 1920s and 1930s artists, anthropologists, educators, and other patrons in the state, recognizing the unique beauty and charm of New Mexico's Spanish colonial crafts, saw the need not only to preserve crafts from the past, but also to encourage their revival in the present. Foremost among these patrons was Leonora Curtin of Santa Fe. Born into a prominent but rather bohemian family, she was instrumental in promoting this revival. In 1934, during the darkest years of the Great Depression, Native Market was born. This endeavor, which became the forerunner of today's world famous yearly Santa Fe Spanish Market, was Leonora's brainchild. Greatly involved in the local art scene of the times, Leonora recognized the pressing need to preserve the rapidly vanishing traditional craft production of Spanish speaking artisans of the region. Through her leadership, dedication, and outreach, New Mexico's Hispano crafts people and artists were given renewed opportunities to market their often enchantingly beautiful creations through the successful commercial venture known as Native Market. This is that story.

Cuba, New Mexico, was first settled in 1769. Originally known as Nacimiento, it was located on the northwestern edge of the Spanish Colonial Empire. It was very isolated and the people who settled Cuba seldom travelled to other areas due to the lack of roads and long distances between settlements. As a consequence, Cuba retained many of the traditions, practices and archaic language of the early Colonial Period until the mid-twentieth century. Only after World War II did this village emerge from its Colonial traditions and begin to acquire more modern amenities and practices. Different from many other small towns, it did not change because of outside forces but mostly because of the actions of people who had been away during World War II and came back wanting what they had experienced elsewhere. “Antes” is the Spanish word for “before.” When used by itself in casual conversation, it always refers to the way things were before the end of World War II. This book contains descriptions and photographs of the practices and activities of the people of Cuba in that earlier time.

A Guide to the New Deal Legacy in New Mexico, 1933-1943

This comprehensive activity book for children offers more than 50 pages of action-packed fun highlighting the contributions made by Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo peoples to the multi-cultural environment. Projects are presented in a variety of formats such as word searches, puzzles, matching objects, picture construction, and mystery puzzles.

compiled by Workers of the Writers Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of New Mexico.