by Daniel Goodman | Aug 6, 2018 | Curator's Corner
By Amanda Mather Well, it’s not a pretty subject, but it is one that we all face, day in and day out. So, we wondered, how did Spanish colonists deal with “it?” “It” being the most mundane of tasks: using the bathroom. In rural and...
by Daniel Goodman | Jul 6, 2018 | Curator's Corner
by Amanda Mather One of the most ubiquitous sights in our gorgeous state, the ristra, is one of New Mexico’s great visual icons. But other than being awesome looking, it did, and to some, still does, serve a very practical purpose: not running out of chile...
by Daniel Goodman | May 1, 2018 | Curator's Corner
by Amanda Mather Along with the Pueblo implements for the processing and cooking of corn (manos, metates, comals, etc.) with the Spanish came wheat and thusly bread, and the deep desire for more of it. This included an oven appropriate for the task of baking bread, of...
by Daniel Goodman | Apr 2, 2018 | Curator's Corner
by Amanda Mather Manos and metates (or, in nerdy archeology speak “groundstone”) have been one of the most common food preparation objects in the Southwest for the last 5,500 years. They have existed in New Mexican households from the late Archaic period...
by Daniel Goodman | May 2, 2017 | Curator's Corner
Maybe one of the most important tools on the New Mexican frontier was the strike-a-light, known as an eslabón (link) in Mexico and chispa (spark) in New Mexico. Dating from the time of the Romans, chispas are a highly effective fire starter when paired with a small...
by Daniel Goodman | Mar 7, 2017 | Curator's Corner
The object pictured here is an aparejo. Aparejos are pack pad saddles that go over the backs of donkeys and mules to form the base of the packing system, and protect the animal from injury. This particular aparejo is from the mid to late 1800s; it even still has the...
