Photo: Deb Haaland in front of U.S. Capitol Building, January 4, 2019 Photo by: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images
U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, of New Mexico’s First Congressional District, is nominated to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior!
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued the following statement upon reports that President-elect Joe Biden will nominate U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland:
“This is an historic day for New Mexico and for the United States of America. This is a proud day for indigenous peoples everywhere, not least in New Mexico. Rep. Deb Haaland is a woman of integrity, tenacity and heart. She is a leader, a fighter and a tireless advocate. A proud daughter of Laguna Pueblo, she has made it her life’s work to represent and deliver for not only her home and her people but the interests of everyone – she stands for all New Mexicans, for a just and equitable society and a better future for all of us. And now she will represent New Mexico on the national stage, and I am so incredibly proud to know her as a colleague and as a friend. I hope all New Mexicans will join me in congratulating Deb, and her family, and in thanking the president-elect for his vote of confidence in one of our state’s most dedicated champions. I greatly look forward to working with a Secretary Haaland on the issues that matter deeply to our tribes and pueblos and to all New Mexicans.”
New Mexico’s Jewish community is celebrating Hanukkah this week, in much the same way as other Jewish communities around the world. The holiday commemorates a rededication of their Temple after the first time that Jews had ever fought in battle to preserve their religious liberties in 165 BC. They needed oil to re-light the lamp, and after the attack only found enough to burn for one day. Miraculously, the tiny bit of oil lasted for eight days, until new supplies arrived and the Temple was restored.
The miracle of the oil is symbolized in Jewish homes by the lighting of the menorah with eight lights, starting with one light and each night one more is lit. The miracle of the oil is remembered in the kitchen as well, and it is traditional to eat foods fried in oil at this time.
The all time favorite is the traditional potato latke, which is a savory potato pancake. Here is how to make your own latkes to try at home, and enjoy them served as a side dish, traditionally served with apple sauce and/or sour cream. Highly recommended: some green or red chile on top!
You can download a pdf of this recipe by following THIS LINK.
A look at the Gustave Baumann book Indian Pottery Old and New
The Press at the Palace of the Governors
announces with great pleasure
A NEW Book by Gustave Baumann
Indian Pottery Old and New
An entry in the December 31,1919 issue of El Palacio magazine reported an exhibit of woodcut prints by Gustave Baumann. On display were pages of what the article called a “wonder book,” Indian Pottery Old and New, said to have been printed in an edition of 50 copies. That showing, and another in Chicago in 1920, were the last times the work was seen in public, and the book was little-known to collectors and admirers of Baumann’s work for nearly a century. Only a few of the fifty copies planned for that 1919 edition were completed, and no more than a dozen are found today in museum, library or private collections. In 1937 Baumann worked on a much-expanded version, and as late as 1950 he still spoke of his intent to bring out a book on Southwestern Indian pottery. So, like the book’s title, we present a book by Gustave Baumann that is both old and new. It is yet another display of the artist’s wit, ever-sharp eye and sure hand.
The block-book style text and fifteen woodcut studies of Indian pottery were carved within a year of Baumann’s arrival in Santa Fe, and we have followed the design of the booklet as he first conceived it. Variations in its black-only format were suggested by changes in his 1937 prototypes, most notably the introduction of brown background blocks carved for all of the pottery groupings. Those blocks, now in the collection of the New Mexico History Museum, are printed here for the first time. Many of the pots, so skillfully rendered, are in the collections of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and the School for Advanced Research.
One hundred forty-five copies of the book were printed by Thomas Leech and James Bourland on Baumann’s remaining supply of Arak paper made by the Whitehead and Alliger Company. That a ream of this paper remained at the time of his death in 1971 may indicate that he had been saving the paper for this very project. Handmade paper covers by Thomas Leech include Baumann’s mouse-chewed canvas tool belt (too far gone to restore), New Mexico mica, and recycled paper trimmings from some of Baumann’s other papers.
The 28-page soft cover book measures 6.75 by 8 inches and comes in a hard-cover folder made by Rosalia Galassi. The price of the book is one hundred sixty dollars, which includes USPS Priority postage.
How to Order in the Time of COVID-19
If you wish to reserve a copy of this book, please email your request to: thomas.leech@state.nm.us
(For Institutional purchases, contact Thomas Leech at the above address)
However, books will be mailed only upon receipt of check, made out to:
Museum of New Mexico Foundation
and mailed to:
Palace Press, c/o Thomas Leech
2 Casa Del Oro Loop
Santa Fe, NM 87508
(This is a museum approved teleworking location)
Please include contact information and an address where the book will be mailed.
Since everybody is spending so much time at home for this Christmas holiday – and we could not gather for Christmas at the Palace, we hope you and your children will enjoy spending time adding color to your own New Mexico Christmas.
You can download the coloring book to print out and color….or even color on your computer. Enjoy!
Our museum educator has shared with us her version of this most classic of New Mexico holiday treats. If you are interested, you can download a PDF document of these instructions RIGHT HERE.
This Special Christmas Cooking Class held on Zoom will feature Sean Sinclair & Johnny Vee demonstrating how to make updated versions of classic Fred Harvey restaurant dishes.
Proceeds from this unique event will benefit NM History Museum Programming.
Join Chef/Proprietor Sean Sinclair live via zoom from the historic Castaneda Hotel in Las Vegas New Mexico as he shares some fantastic holiday recipes inspired by the famous Fred Harvey railroad hotel and restaurant empire–of which the recently restored hotel was the very first of its renowned resorts in the SW. Chef Sean Sinclair worked with hotel owners Allan Affeldt and Tina Mion (who got their start reviving La Posada in Winslow) to help lovingly restore the bar and dining room of this stately property overlooking the former Atchison Topeka and the Santa Fe rail line.
Step back in time as he and fellow chef John Vollertson (Johnny Vee) demonstrate recipes you will want to add to your repertoire, with historical commentary by bestselling author Stephen Fried.
Proceeds from the cooking class benefit The New Mexico History Museum, which has the nation’s only major permanent exhibit about Fred Harvey, the Harvey Girls, design guru Mary Colter and the ATSF, and annually hosts on the Fred Harvey History Weekend in Santa Fe and Las Vegas–including the Fred Harvey Foodie Dinner.
Here’s the menu, all adapted from classic dishes Fred Harvey chefs served in their restaurants, hotels and dining cars:
Appetizer: Canape Cordova (Johnny Vee will riff on the classic Harvey canape of caviar, smoked salmon and artichoke on toast with chopped olive, onion and egg)
Soup: Bisque of Crab (Sean Sinclair will recreate one of the Harvey kitchens’ most beloved seafood bisques)
Entrée: Chicken Lucrecio (Sean Sinclair will explore the best-known early recipe from La Fonda foodie hero chef Konrad Allgaier, a special-spicy chicken with a gravy made with cumin, garlic, butter and almonds) served with Potatoes Sinclair.
Dessert: Chocolate Puffs with Strawberry Preserves (Johnny Vee will show you how to make the most famous Fred dessert–also known as “Harvey House Chocolate Puffs”—topped with fresh whipped cream)
Image credit: Everardo Ramírez, “El Plan de San Luis aterroriza a la dictadura,” from the Taller de Gráfica Popular portfolio, “450 años de lucha: Homenaje al pueblo mexicano,” 1960. Center for Southwest Research, UNM University Libraries. ZIM CSWR Pict Colls PICT 999-021-0061
Today marks the 110th anniversary of the Plan de San Luis Potosí, which initiated the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). Written by Francisco I. Madero while in exile in Texas, the Plan called for an end to Porfirio Díaz’s long presidential reign known as the Porfiriato, the provisional presidency for legitimate winner Madero, and for Mexicans to unite against despotism on November 20, 1910. This Plan helped set into action a series of events and people who shaped Mexican life, politics, and art for the next ten years, and to this very day.
Some years ago, we had the privilege of showing Sen. Jeff and Anne Bingaman’s collection of prints from Mexico’s Taller de Gráfica Popular, an artist’s print collective, founded in 1937, that focused on sociopolitical art to further the goals of the Revolution. For those that didn’t get a chance to see the exhibition in person, we have our virtual tour of “A Mexican Mirror: Prints from the Taller de Gráfica Popular” here for your enjoyment. ¡Qué viva la Revolución!
Graphic with details of Dr. Cathleen Cahill’s lecture.
Join us December 2nd at 12pm (MST) on our Youtube channel for December’s 1st Wednesday Lecture.
Will be joined by Dr. Cathleen Cahill, Associate Professor of History at Penn State University. Professor Cahill will tell the powerful stories of a multiracial group of activists who propelled the national suffrage movement toward a more inclusive vision of equal rights. Most suffrage stories are centered in the East and the Southwest as an afterthought at best. But Cahill asks what happens when we refocus the lens to center the stories in NM and the wider region? This talk reveals that suddenly our suffrage history is more diverse and more complicated than we anticipated. She will especially focus on New Mexico by exploring the important role of Spanish-speaking suffragists, the activism of African American women, and the debate over the Native American right to vote. With suffragists of color in the foreground, Cahill will recast the suffrage movement as an unfinished struggle that extended beyond the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.
Cathleen D. Cahill, PHD is associate professor of history at Penn State University and the author of Federal Fathers and Mothers: A Social History of the United States Indian Service, 1869–1933, winner of the 2011 Labriola Center American Indian National Book Award and finalist for the 2012 David J. Weber-Clements Prize, Western History Association.
The bookcover for Recasting the Vote by Cathleen D. Cahill
Friends of History is a volunteer support group for the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Its mission is to raise funds and public awareness for the Museum’s exhibitions and programs. Friends of History fulfills its mission by offering high quality public history programs, including the First Wednesday Lecture Series. For more information, or to join the Friends of History, go to friends-of-history.org
You can find a playlist of previous 1st Wednesday Lectures on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/nmmuseum and also on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NewMexicoHistoryMuseum
For 10 years the New Mexico History Museum has played host to the series of lectures that are a part of the Fred Harvey History Weekend. This annual event is a chance for “Fred Heads” from all over to converge on Santa Fe an regale themselves in all things Fred Harvey.
This year, the weekend event produced by MightMakesWriteLLC is moving entirely online due the COVID-19 situation we are facing.
The full roster of Harvey related talks, along with the Saturday night Foodie Dinner Demonstration* & Auction to benefit the History Museum programming with accessible with registration. has delved into the history and impact of this popular historic travel brand. This year, the event’s 11th, will be completely online, with streamed lectures, a virtual version of the highlight of the weekend, the Foodie Dinner & Auction to benefit programming at New Mexico History Museum.
For more information on the schedule of events visit:
And to register to for tickets for any of the events, you can visit the event listing on eventbrite.
*The Dinner Demonstration offers an opportunity for you to learn how to prepare a contemporary take on classic Fred Harvey cuisine with top chefs from La Fonda and La Castaneda! You will receive an ingredient list ahead of time.
