The Chile Capital of the World

 New Mexico is a state rich in history and tradition. In addition to being the Chile Capital of the World and the home of the Pueblo people, it is also the birthplace of the nuclear bomb.

We decided to take the Tram from the base of the Sandia Mountains outside Albuquerque all the way to the top, a trip of more than 4,000 ft of elevation gain to a final height of 10,300 ft, for lunch and a view of the valley below.






Drinks and lunch in the mountaintop restaurant were great, and the view was good, too!




Then the trip down, with more sites….including this hang glider, who must have been up at 11-12,000 ft.









We followed this up later in the day with a stroll outside the Albuquerque History Museum.







And then we went inside for more interesting stuff…….






The caption on the painting below reads:

The Three Graces, by Delmas Howe  ca. 1990’s

“In many depictions of cowboys, the figure is shown in action, dressed in stereotypical clothing, and surrounded by the grandeur of the Western landscape. The figures in Delmas Howe’s The Three Graces are heroic representations of the three, but Howe challenges stereotypical depictions by showing them embracing, wearing revealing, tattered clothing, and posing for a portrait rather than actively working. The three graces reference the Greek goddesses, daughters of Zeus, who represented creativity, beauty, and charm. Howe parodies this ancient trio by depicting the graces as farmers. While being an amusing and accessible image, it also challenges gender expectations and pushes against the mythology of the lone, heroic cowboy.”


Then there is this:

Ray Martin Abeyta, The Artist and the Showman, East Coast West Coast, Buffalo Bill and Herman Melville.  2013

Abeyta pokes at colonial attitudes in this metaphorical painting. The relationship between Buffalo Bill Cody and Melville May seem oblique, but Abeyta draws a thought-provoking parallel. Melville’s Moby Dick affirms the colonial belief that all resources, including oil rendered from whales, should be exploited. In the book, this belief leads to complete disaster. Similarly, Cody’s colonialism presents the West as a carnival that masks the cultural disasters and genocide that occurred during the “taming” of the West.

Comically dragging them into the present, Abeyta shows Cody and Melville throwing gang signs, envisioning them representing west and east sides of a colonial “hood”.


And finally, Herbert Anderson’s “Shotgun Wedding”,  ca.1960

While his carving offers a humorous depiction of this event, the image reveals broader societal standards that could tarnish the social standing of both parties but women in particular. This style of depicting real emotions and experiences in everyday scenes is an example of one type of caricature and humor that artists employ to explore human behaviors.




Next, south to the border.

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