PHOTO:
ITSATRIP.ORG
The museum of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center features exhibits on the heritage of the nineteen Pueblo Indian settlements of New Mexico.
u With thirty-six acres, the Rio Grande Botanic Garden contains a rich variety of native and exotic plants, a whimsical Children’s Fantasy Garden, a Japanese gar- den, and a butterfly pavilion.
Petroglyphs and Pueblos
Petroglyph National Monument, west of the metro area of Albuquerque, stretches over a seventeen-mile-long volcanic escarpment. At first glance the sandy, scrubby, rocky topography looks unwelcoming under the sun’s bleaching glare. On closer inspection, though, as you walk the self-guided trails through the park’s canyons and over long-dormant volcanic sites, you’ll see evidence of lives lived and re- corded here. There are over 24,000 petroglyphs (rock carvings) through- out the national monument, some tiny and cryptic, others larger and more obviously images of people and animals. It is believed that most of the petroglyphs were made in the 1300s through the late 1600s, but some may have been drawn earlier. The Native Americans who made these drawings were among New Mexico’s early inhabitants, the ancestors of today’s Pueblo people.
New Mexico is home to nineteen 56
Pueblo Indian settlements, and the culture of the Pueblo people makes up a significant part of the area’s history. North of Old Town on Twelfth Street you can find the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, whose mission it is “to preserve and perpetuate Pueblo culture and to advance understanding by presenting with dignity and respect the accomplishments and evolving history of the Pueblo people of New Mexico.” The museum at the cultural center is spectacular and comprehen- sive and has a permanent exhibit called Our Land, Our Culture, Our Story, which gives an overview of the Pueblo people’s history in the area as well as examples and explanations of the various arts and crafts specific to each Pueblo settlement. Authentic works of pottery, weaving, painting, jewelry making, and other artistic endeavors are featured throughout the museum, some made recently, and others from centuries gone by. In many cases, the artists’ traditions, choices, and intentions are explained in relation to the exhibits, giving visitors insight to the complex pro- cesses behind the artwork. Through- out the year, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center features Native American dances and artist demon- strations on many weekends.
Downtown and above the City For a trip back to a more recent and perhaps somewhat familiar time, drive Central Avenue through the down- town. This is Historic Route 66, and the funky art deco–style architecture and midcentury type signage you’ll see along Central Avenue here seems appropriate to the Mother Road somehow, harkening back to an era of big cars and neon lights and chintzy souvenirs.
The most impressive building downtown is the KiMo Theatre, a three-story edifice built in the Pueblo deco–style (a combination of art deco and Pueblo architectural styles) in 1927. This construction was an undertaking of considerable ambition and expense and was the dream of local entrepreneur Oreste Bachechi. Designed by Carl Boller, the movie palace was unique down to the finest detail, depicting Southwestern and indigenous cultures and arts. It was completed at a cost of approximately $150,000, a small fortune at the time. The KiMo did its duty in providing the city’s residents with a grand and opulent venue in which to see movies and live acts. But, in the early 1960s, a fire destroyed quite a bit of the old theater, including its stage. And as Albuquerque fell victim to the urban-
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PHOTO: PHILIP HARTIGAN
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