Back WHERE? You may ask. Unless you’re an artist or an art teacher you’ve probably never heard of this tiny village in northern New Mexico. It became home of the painter Georgia O’Keeffe, one of the most influential American artists of the 20th Century. She started her career in New York City around 1915. The avant-garde art dealer and photographer Alfred Stieglitz was so impressed by the innovative style of her work that he started to promote her paintings with exhibitions at prestigious galleries. They got married in 1924. From 1929 on she spent the summers in New Mexico, mostly in Taos and at Ghost Ranch, where she bought a house in 1940. Three years after her husband died in 1947, she made Abiquiú her permanent home; she purchased a house with a big garden located right in the village.
This may sound quite romantic nowadays, but required a lot of courage, determination, and a fiercely independent spirit in the 1940s. There were no paved roads, no supermarkets, no modern plumbing, electricity was spotty, and gas stations were few and far between (Georgia drove an old Ford Model A). Plus, the atmosphere may not have been exactly friendly – I have friends, Anglos as non-Hispanic people are called here, who moved to tiny hamlets such as Abiquiú in the early 1990s and even then didn’t feel welcome at all.
But things have changed, and living in a small village in northern New Mexico has become much easier. What had attracted Georgia O’Keeffe – the immense sky, the changing, brilliant light, the stunning landscape with its vibrant colors – has appealed to a steady stream of artists, writers, photographers, and other creative people. Sometimes the allure doesn’t last… the dusty wind, hot, dry summers, and freezing winters are not for everybody. But those who do get enchanted – after all, New Mexico’s state motto is ‘Land of Enchantment’ – love the land with a passion.
I’ve been writing about some of these Abiquiú artists, musicians, ranchers, and other remarkable individuals, both Anglo and Hispanic, for a weekly online newspaper, The Abiquiú News. The more I talk to people, the more I learn about the unique culture of the region: almost 50% of the population speaks Spanish. While some are Mexican immigrants, the majority has lived here since long before the United States was founded and are the descendants of Spanish settlers who arrived in the 16th century.
New Mexico certainly is the most unusual of the 50 states. Indigenous peoples lived here for thousands of years, and many traces of their cultures are still visible. Both the Acoma Pueblo and the Taos Pueblo, dating back to around 1000 AD, belong to the oldest buildings in the United States, with the Pueblo de Taos being the oldest continuously inhabited community in the U.S. In 1610 Santa Fe was formally established as the capital of one of the provinces of New Spain, a vast area covering large portions of southern and western North America, Central and South America with Mexico City as its capital. The Palace of the Governors is one of several Santa Fe buildings dating back to 1610.
New Mexico is one of the least populated states, with only 17 people sharing one square mile. Maybe it’s the altitude, harsh winters in the northern part, lack of employment opportunities, or few urban areas, but population growth was only 2.8% between 2010 and 2020. Those of us who love the state would gladly keep it this way! I couldn’t find any data, but I believe Abiquiú’s population growth is higher than 2.8%. It keeps attracting not only artists, but individuals with unique interests, and it’s great fun to interview them.
There is Bob, for example, a railroad enthusiast who built an F-scale model railroad, the Chile Line, which is based on a real line which was part of the North Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and ran between Santa Fe and Antonio, CO from 1880 to 1941. Bob explained that it is a “What If” version, based around a fictitious train station in 1947, but all the pieces are authentic replicas of stores, houses, cars, trains, clothes that people wear, etc. – down to posters on walls and signs above doors. It was such a delight to visit his extensive display area.
. Or take Tina and Mike who founded a rescue ranch originally for horses. Horse slaughter is outlawed in the United States, and any horse no longer useful to its owners will be sold or auctioned off at kill lots. From there, they’re sent to be slaughtered in Mexico or Canada – after a truly inhumane transport. Tina and Mike started a non-profit organization which not only offers a lovely home to rescued horses but also to some donkeys, dogs, cats, and one pot-bellied pig.
Dexter, who was born in the village of Abiquiú and is something of a spiritual guide, an elder, in the community, proudly showed me the 300-year-old almond tree which grows on his property. And the apple trees that his grandfather had planted. The deep connection that Dexter has with his Hispanic and Native American history and culture gives his life meaning and purpose. He radiates contentment which material possessions alone can never offer.
After retiring from a corporate job, Stan moved to Abiquiú and started an organic vineyard on a five-and-a-half acres property. Did you know that the Spanish King had forbidden the exportation of grape vines because he was concerned that the New World would take over wine making? But the monks who came from Spain to convert the natives to Catholicism needed wine for the Holy Mass and smuggled some vines into what is now New Mexico. Ever since then, the wine industry in New Mexico has been thriving, although it had some ups and downs. Stan isn’t involved in wine making but sells his grapes to several wineries in the area.
After I moved to Massachusetts I continued writing for the Abiquiú News, but interviews had to be done with Zoom. And then the editors needed a house-sitter for three weeks because they were going on a vacation, so they bought my plane ticket and here I am, in Abiquiú, doing interviews in person. I already talked with a beekeeper, a garlic grower, some artists, and members of a youth organization which teaches kids to grow organic vegetables and care for the land. It’s such a pleasure to listen to people telling me about their lives, their interests, their passion. And it feels fabulous to be back.
How do you like being in Massachusetts and would you ever move back to the southwest? Great article and I can tell you are excited to be back in that region.
wow that's great !! lovely post / glad you got back to ole abiquiqi