New Mexico

Hispanic arts & crafts: bultos, colcha embroidery, pano art, retablos, santos, silverwork, tinwork, weaving, woodworking

Woodwork

The blend of Native American, Hispano and Anglo-American traditions endows New Mexico with a unique cultural flavor that permeates all aspects of this southwestern society. The region's cultural syncretism can be savored in the traditional cuisine, observed among the goods sold in the Santa Fe plaza and experienced when one interacts with everyday utilitarian objects such as furniture. Furniture's functional importance often overshadows its aesthetic beauty. However, decoration and furnishings give insight into the social dynamics and aesthetic preferences of a community; the New Mexican furniture style is a reflection of the Native American, Hispano and Anglo-American sensibilities of this region.

The strongest cultural influence visible in the New Mexican furniture style is that of Spain. Immigrant Spaniards brought the guild system to the New World during the 16th century and established the first carpenter's guild in Mexico City in 1568. At this time, woodworkers and furniture artists in the region now known as New Mexico appropriated many aspects of the Spanish guild system. One such adaptation was the customary practice of passing down trade secrets concerning the proportion, design and structure of furniture from father to son in order to maintain a strong family tradition. This custom is still widely practiced today and can be witnessed among the artists of all ages who participate in Santa Fe's Spanish Market each year at the end of July.

As is the case with most utilitarian objects made before the latter half of the 20th century, attribution and historical data concerning early New Mexican furniture is scarce. Up until the mid-19th century, most New Mexican furniture was constructed out of native woods such as ponderosa pine and juniper, and basic hand-tools such as the saw, adz, chisel and auger were used in the building process. Increasing trade with Mexico coupled with the opening of the Santa Fe Trail in 1821 introduced new tools and techniques into the region.

New Mexican furniture has developed into its own recognizable style as a result of the available native resources, and the unique Hispano, Native American and Anglo-American amalgam of culture in this region. Furniture, like any other component of everyday life, is not stagnant and introduces yet another way to visually learn about the adaptive characteristics of society.

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