Festivals in New Mexico

August

The Fiesta de San Lorenzo: held every August in Bernalillo. In 1680, the Pueblo Revolt drove the Spanish out of New Mexico, becoming “the only successful Native uprising against a colonizing power in North America.” The colonists of Bernalillo fled to what is now El Paso. While there, they adopted San Lorenzo as their patron saint. San Lorenzo, or Saint Lawrence, was born during the 3rd century in the Roman province of Hispania. He traveled to Rome, became a deacon, and was martyred during the time of the Emperor Valerian. In addition to adopting San Lorenzo as their saint, the exiles from Bernalillo also learned the Matachines dance. According to Smithsonian, “Matachín dancing was brought over the Atlantic by the Spanish to convert Native Americans to Christianity. In 1693, they brought both back to Bernalillo. Residents made a promesa to hold the San Lorenzo Fiesta every August 10, marking San Lorenzo’s feast day and the anniversary of the Pueblo Revolt as thanks for their safekeeping during their exile and as a hope for future safety.” During the dance, the participants wear a black headdress to conceal their identity. They also have, “a prominently displayed religious icon upon the front, with whom the dancer shares a personal relationship” and a palma which represents the Holy Trinity. According to the schedule for the 2024 festival, the figure in all-white is named El Monarca. He presides over the dance and represents the Aztec Emperor Montezuma. The little girl represents La Malinche, who is instrumental in Montezuma’s conversion to Christianity. El Toro, “represents the pre-Columbian religion and temptation. He stalks the dancers, attempting to disrupt Montezuma’s conversion. His counterpart, El Abuelo, is the caretaker and instructs [the dancers] on the ways of Christianity.” Throughout the dance, Abuelo frequently whips the bull and eventually shoots him dead. People seem to conceptualize the ceremony very differently. On the schedule, it states that the dance was, “introduced as a means of converting the indigenous peoples of the New World to Catholicism. The dance tells of the conversion of Montezuma and the submission and death of the bull, thus the triumph of Christianity over Paganism.” A Sandoval sign post article states that the bull symbolizes “evil and paganism.” Conversely, in a 2021 article by Miguel A Gandert, he writes, “characters like Montezuma and Malinche link the choreographic narrative to the Conquest of Mexico, but the dance is about spiritually surviving conquest. if the bull is the ancient totem of imperial Spain, his death and post-mortem castration are a sign that the imperial nightmare is over. By definition, the Matachines is a ritual of decolonization.”

The Indian Market in Santa Fe: the market has been held every year since 1922. According to this article, “the first Indian Fair was held by the Museum of New Mexico as part of Santa Fe Fiesta. The first markets were run by mostly Anglo museum staff who did the selling. In 1936, Native artists began selling their own work.” There is also the Free Indian Market.

September

Santo Domingo Arts & Crafts Market: “First established in around 1970, the market ran through 1980 and was revived in around 1990. In addition to visual art, the market hosts local farmers”

The New Mexico State Fair: held in Albuquerque. According to Wikipedia, “the fair was first held in October 1881 under the direction of Elias S. Stover. Originally referred to as the territorial fair, it became a state fair in 1911 in anticipation of New Mexico’s upcoming statehood.”

Rodeos: rodeos are held year-round, but the biggest rodeo is held during September at the State Fair. According to this Smithsonian article, “the modern… sport of rodeo owes just about everything… to rough-and-tumble Mexican cowboys of the early 1800s. Ranch hands, known as vaqueros, perfected the roping and riding skills we see in today’s competitions. They also innovated rodeo fashion: leather boots, chaps, big hats and the rest. And it was in Mexico that the sport got its name, derived from the Spanish verb rodear: to encircle or round up. By the time the U.S. annexed Texas in 1845 and claimed a large chunk of Mexico along with it, the vaqueros were seeing their culture absorbed into the cowboy lifestyle of the American West. The more organized competition that would become American rodeo gained popularity at events such as Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, which began in 1883. After a group of performers walked out of a 1936 show… to protest insufficient pay, players organized the first cowboy union. By 1975, the organization had become the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the world’s largest, which today boasts more than 5,000 active competing members.” Some rodeos in New Mexico include:

Mid January at the Winter Classic Rodeo in Farmington
Early May at the Pioneer Days in Clovis
Early July at the Ceremonial in Mescalero
Mid July at the Wildthing Championship in Gallup
Mid July at the Little Beaver Celebration in Dulce
Early August at the Sandoval County Fair in Cuba
Early August at the Lea County Fair in Lovington
Early August at the Inter-Tribal Ceremonial in Gallup
Mid August at the Curry County Fair in Clovis
Late August at the County Fair in Socorro
Late August at the Bean Day Celebration in Wagon Mound
Early September at the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque
Late September at the Southern New Mexico State Fair in Las Cruces

October

Balloon Fiesta: hot air balloons were invented in France in the late 18th century, six years before the French Revolution broke out. According to the Balloon Fiesta’s website, “Jean Pierre Blanchard became the first to fly a hot air balloon in North America. George Washington was present to see the balloon launch.” Hot air balloons fell out of favor for 150 years, until the 1950s. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta was established in 1972 with 13 balloons, today the fiesta sees over 600 and hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad: this line was originally constructed in 1880. Over time, operations began to dwindle. According to New Mexico’s Railroads by David F. Myrick, “in 1967, the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Company filed a petition seeking to abandon the entire narrow gauge line from Antonito to Durango and Farmington [thereby ending the last use of steam locomotives in general freight service in the United States]. In 1970, the states of Colorado and New Mexico, working together, developed a successful plan to save a portion of the former D&RGW narrow gauge. With much help from dedicated volunteers, the Cumbres and Toltec Science Railroad, extending from Chama to Antonito, a distance of 64 miles, was prepared for a revival, and the Railroad Club of New Mexico sponsored the first excursion on June 26, 1971. Since that date, this tourist railroad, operating from June to early October, has delighted many visitors.”