Española did not start out as a town. It began as a camp at the end of a railroad line. It just happened to be the place where the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad put on the brakes.
You won’t see much to remind you of those first days here. But you will get a good look at Española Valley history.
Next to the Post Office is what everybody knows as the Bond House. It was once home for Frank Bond, a merchant who made Española his home in the late 1800s.
The town bought the house and turned it into a cultural center for local art. I saw a great show of area santeras. They are women who carve wooden saints. They call the saints they carve santos.
Exhibits change every few months. There’s always something exciting inside the big white, red-roofed house on the hill.
Down that hill on the Plaza de Española is the Mision y Convento. If it looks like an old church, that’s the idea. Española built it to look like one of the nearby old pueblo mission churches.
Inside, there’s an art gallery and a weaving shop. I got to chat with Ruby Montoya, whose family of weavers goes back five centuries. Her mother worked as a weaver until she died a few years ago at the age of 102.
“I’m just keeping traditions alive. And I’m so proud,” Montoya will tell you against a backdrop of woven jackets and bags behind her.
She’ll share her heritage with anybody who walks through her shop door.
And she’ll remind you, “everything’s for sale here.”
Plenty of pottery is for sale at the pueblos of the Española Valley. San Juan, Santa Clara and San Ildefonso are all just minutes away.
Pueblo Indians celebrate their feast days and sometimes invite the public. Look for signs along the road for invitations and for just who’s selling what.
Local veterans from all wars, about 2,000 of them, proudly put their names up on the Veterans’ Memorial Wall. It’s an eloquent way to remember vets.
Plans are to add another 600 names to the red granite wall that stands not far from the Bond House on the Plaza de Española.
There’s something special about the Española Valley. And you’ll see it right on the road.
They are lowriders.
And they are just that because their cars are fitted with suspensions to make them ride, well, really low to the ground. Sometimes, they jump around from low to regular and back to low again.
The cars have paint jobs that look like works of art. Just look for them on the roads around town.
Another artist in town is Félix López. He’s a wood carver. He and his kids continue to carve in their workshop a couple of miles south of town.
The López workshop’s welcome mat has been put out for you. Come and watch. Just call first, (505) 753-2785.
Quick glance
Key stops in Española are the Bond House, a cultural center, and the Mision y convento, which was built to look like an old church but houses an art gallery and weaving shop. And, traveling the streets are low-riders, often resembling art on wheels. And for 100 percent New Mexico lamb dishes, Angelina’s, 1226 No. Railroad, is a must.
Info
For more information on Española, contact the Chamber of Commerce office at 710 Paseo de Oñate.
Phone: (505) 753-2831
Web site: http//:www.espanolanmchamber.com
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