Francisco Vasquez de Coronado forged a path through the Southwest as early as 1540, on a quest for gold and slaves. Nearly 500 years later, the legacy of Spanish colonial rule still marks the landscape of Northern New Mexico. Coronado set the tone for other occupying forces, including the U.S. Military, whose sprawling Los Alamos Laboratory, where the first nuclear weapons were developed, still dominates the Jemez Mountains outside of Albuquerque.
The Jemez are the homeland of Puebloan Indians and their ancestral sites. The surrounding canyons and valleys are filled with cliff dwellings and petroglyphs dating back 11,000 years. Present day Native Puebloan communities adjoin the National Forest and Monuments of the Jemez,where they continue to farm and live with evolving traditions.. The area is also home to bighorn sheep, rare jumping mice, and abundant hot springs. In this stunning, complex web of history and interests, we’ll share a week of walking and reflection.
This trip is structured as a moving workshop, with readings and visiting presenters curated by Signal Fire. Participants are not required to create new work during the trip and all content is optional, though we will be traveling as a group throughout the week.
Participants: Margaret Curtis, Carmen Denison, Amie LeGette, Emmy Lingscheit, Genevieve Lowe, Greg Luna, Geronimo Tagatac, Kara Thompson, Stephanie Yu, Jin Zhu
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