Welcome to
Collectors Corner!
Ed Sandoval Gallery's Newsletter
119 Quesnel Street, Taos, NM 87571
edsandovalart@gmail.com
(575) 770-6360
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My Great, Great, Great+ Grandfather: Our Family's Spanish (& Artistic) Roots |
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One of Bernardo Miera y Pacheco's Maps from the 1776 Dominguez-Escalante Expedition (Source)
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I’ve wanted to share this story for a long time but needed to do some reading first. Bernardo Miera y Pacheco (1713-1785) is our family's first known ancestor in New Mexico who came over from Spain: my great, great (insert many great’s) grandfather. My sister Pita did our family genealogy and collected information on him many years ago, which inspired my imagination. I'm absolutely fascinated by his accomplishments for the time period and his curiosity and artistic skill.
I’m no historian and will convey just the general gist of his life. The quotes, photos and tidbits are from The Art & Legacy of Bernardo Miera y Pacheco: New Spain’s Explorer, Cartographer, and Artist edited by Josef Díaz. The essays within refer to him as “Miera,” but I’m calling him “Bernardo” because, after all, we are family. LOL.
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A captain in the Spanish Royal Corps of Military Engineers, Bernardo was born in Spain, shipped to Mexico in the early 1740's and settled in Santa Fe around 1754. In 1757, the Spanish crown wanted a comprehensive map of New Mexico, probably because they needed to safeguard their lands and resources from constant marauding that was taking place in the new world. Thus started his trips through New Mexico and the Southwest, capturing the topography and peoples of the northernmost territory of “New Spain.” |
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Map of the Province of New Mexico, 1758, 32 x 26 in. Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico. I Highlighted Taos and Albuquerque in Yellow. |
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Let's stop here and think about this. He was mapping New Mexico...on a horse! If you’ve driven here, you know the Sangre de Cristo mountains are substantial, running up and down the landscape, and there are lots of other chains like the Sandia mountains. Can you imagine plodding along on a horse (for months if not years) and correctly judging the distance you traveled, let alone sketching landmarks with any degree of accuracy? And let's not forget they had to contend with the weather, disease, attacks and who knows what else. I drove through the Gila National Forest in a car on a highway, and it was so vast I thought I'd never get out - but he drew the whole state riding a horse...
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Díaz says, “The governor had instructions from the viceroy to carry out an inspection and have a map created of New Mexico that included the ‘particulars of mountains, mines, new discoveries, presidios and missions, the tribes that live around them, and the distances between places.’ No other maps of New Mexico existed, and Miera was the only person in the area who could create one.” So off he went.
Later, he was sent on other map-making missions, with more and more detail being requested. He was supposed to capture camping locations, towns, pueblos, enemy territories, trails, waterways, etc. It sounds impossible to me, but Bernardo did it and did it with authenticity and beauty.
Essay author Dennis Reinbartz praises him for drawing "with the accurateness of an eighteenth-century scientist" and "with the aesthetic gift of an artist."
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Figures Painted on Map: Hopi Women. Essay author Charles M. Carrillo says, "Her hairdo is made of butterfly whorls, indicating that she is of marriageable age. A second female...wears her hair in two pigtails, indicating that she is married." |
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Detail in Map of the Kingdom of New Mexico (1760). Pharaones Apaches Facing Mounted Spaniards |
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With the violence and fear of "the other" during those turbulent times, Bernardo could have sneered when he met Native Americans and traveled by pueblos, but he didn't. In fact, he was curious about their way of life. It intrigued him, and he painted them on his maps to capture these different, diverse cultures. Charles M. Carrillo says that "his encounters with, and depictions of, native peoples of the region were unprecedented."
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Bernardo's Alter Screen Dedicated to Our Lady of Light (1761) Made of Volcanic Stone and Paint. Now at the Cristo Rey Church in Santa Fe. |
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Bernardo was a cartographer with an eye for detail and a desire for beauty. However, even though his maps guided people for well over a century, he is probably more well known today as a prolific artist of alter screens (retablos) and carvings.
He had patrons and did commission work, traveling to towns and pueblos to create retablos for their mission churches. Essay authors Robin Farwell Gavin and Donna Pierce say, "His artwork has been identified at the pueblos of San Felipe, Santa Clara, Zuni, and Nambé, as well as in the Spanish towns of Las Trampas, Manzano, Belen, and Santa Fe....He also learned from his hosts, as from the Indians of the Zuni Pueblo, from whom he learned to make the azurite blue paint that he prized."
His alter screen that resides at the Cristo Rey Church in Santa Fe is remarkable, carved in sections and assembled block by block. His carvings are sublime, and his legacy and influence are just now getting the recognition they deserve.
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Bernardo's St. Joseph, ca. 1760-1785 |
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Source of All Photos, Quotes and Facts Unless Otherwise Noted |
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Bernardo's St. Michael, ca. 1774-1776 |
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Way to go grandpa! Ha ha. And by the way, if you think he had a long name, my full name is actually Jose Eduardo Santiago de Rivera de Sandoval.
Seriously, it's wonderful for each of us to know about our family history, and I couldn't be more amazed by the bravery, endurance, openness and vast talent of Bernardo. For a nice article in the Santa Fe New Mexican on Bernardo's life AND the book I cited and used to write this story, Click Here!
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My Artwork Heading to Canyon Road |
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Packing Up Paintings for a Van Ride to Santa Fe |
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I posted this on Facebook, but in case you missed it, a lot of my artwork is headed to Canyon Road Contemporary Art in Santa Fe! I’ll still have my gallery in Taos, but this is a wonderful way to expand and have my work seen by more people.
I’ve been in Santa Fe galleries before, but that was quite a long time ago. The timing just wasn’t right back then – the effort was a bit sporadic with a few paintings here and there. Mentally and professionally, I'm in a much better place, have come a long way and feel confident and ready. I couldn't be happier with the people, partnership and place in this new venture. It feels perfect.
They are as excited as I am, and I think they really enjoyed viewing and selecting pieces to display. I wrapped up seventeen paintings that they picked (some are very large), helped load the delivery van and am eager to see them hung together.
Canyon Road Contemporary Art is a historic building with 3,500 square feet of adorable rooms, which makes it feel cozy and intimate. You get a really good feel for each artist because their works are hung together in their own dedicated space.
What I love most is their outdoor garden with event space, and I hope to go down for painting demonstrations from time to time. The gallery is at 622 Canyon Road across from the Compound Restaurant. Hope to see some of you there this year!
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Favorite Places: Jemez Springs Area |
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Since we can't travel much, I'm doing a series about some of my favorite places. This month: the town of and area around Jemez Springs.
This was my dad's favorite spot, and my earliest family vacation memories are of camping in the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Our extended family from all over New Mexico (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) met us in the woods. We'd hang tarps above the picnic tables, erect cloth tents, build a fire and the fun would begin!
Dad dug a hole and put a big pot full of beans on top of the coals within before burying it, and then he sat back with the guys and drank beer waiting for the "underground beans" to cook. I think that's why he enjoyed camping so much – he usually worked so hard, but, on these trips, he got to hang with the boys, relax and sip beer all day. Meanwhile, us kids would scamper like squirrels all over the place, climbing trees, swimming in the river, fishing and even playing softball. Looking back, it's lovely: an extended, multi-generational family coming together to laugh, share stories and enjoy one another...
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Camping at Valles Caldera: Tiny Me in Front, Dad on Far Left, & Grandma on Far Right |
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Today, I still love going there to hike around the rock formations and look at rushing water coming from underground springs. All that walking will make you thirsty. Hopefully, you'll be able to visit the Los Ojos saloon for a cold beer and an authentic western experience. I say "hopefully" because I'm sure hoping this 19th century bar is still going strong when the pandemic is over...and that goes for all of our charming NM restaurants and bars.
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Me Climbing over a Rock Face |
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Featured Paintings
To inquire or request a high-resolution photo, contact 575-770-6360 or edsandovalart@gmail.com. For all available paintings, click HERE
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"Luminaria Pathway" (24 x 18) |
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"Trail to Hondo" (36 x 24) |
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"Santiago Arroyo II" (30 x 20) |
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"From the Well" (30 x 40) |
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Another Recipe! Green Chile Salad |
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A couple of years ago, we were going to a house party, needed to bring an appetizer and didn't have time to go to the store. We started throwing things together, and EUREKA! Score! This green chile side dish/salad is fabulous, was gobbled up at the party and now we eat it all the time. Being fans of The Pioneer Woman's cookbooks (Ree Drummond) and how she has photos of every cooking step, here's our version of a photo recipe. :-)
There aren't any measurements - it's all to taste, which can depend on how hot your green chiles are (add more of everything to tone them down). And you can add all kinds of other veggies, like yellow bell peppers, cilantro, zucchini, etc. and it still works great. The secret is the dressing - you've GOT to use Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette (fresh and tasty).
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Remove skin, seeds and veins from your roasted green chiles.
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Chop them up into bite-size pieces and throw into a bowl. |
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Add chopped tomato (we usually deseed them before chopping) |
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Add the secret dressing (~1-2 T), salt (~1/4 t) and sugar (~3/4 T). |
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Mix and let sit for a while for the flavors to blend. Taste and add more dressing, salt or sugar if needed. Enjoy! |
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If so, please send your personal story and photo(s) to edsandovalart@gmail.com.
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Contact
Ed Sandoval Gallery
119 Quesnel Street, Taos, NM 87571
www.edsandovalgallery.com | (575) 770-6360 | edsandovalart@gmail.com
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